Mass at St Joseph’s Church in Medan, Indonesia, took a blood-curdling twist last Sunday when an 18-year-old suddenly left his pew and ran towards the celebrant, Fr Albert Pandiangan, wielding an axe.
Members of the congregation managed to restrain the assailant, but only after he had struck the 60-year-old priest with the axe, injuring the cleric’s hand. The young man also carried a bomb in his backpack which, mercifully, failed to detonate.
Indonesian police said shortly afterwards that there was no clear motive for the attack, but the perpetrator reportedly carried a pro-ISIS symbol and insisted that he was not acting alone.
