Three radical Indonesian Muslim groups said Thursday a bomb attack on a Jakarta church last week was linked to the sectarian conflict in the Maluku islands.
The groups said the attack was aimed at two priests from the Malukus whom they accused of trying to stoke a religious conflict in Jakarta.
"We can understand action by a group of mujahedin who tried to prevent provocation by the Christian side, which has been aggressively propagating their interests," said a statement issued by the Laskar Jihad, the Front for the Defenders of Islam (FPI) and the Indonesian Committee for Muslim World Solidarity.
At a press conference called by the three groups, Laskar Jihad leader Jaffar Umar Thalib accused the two priests of engaging in "propaganda to stigmatize Muslims."
The priests were attending a service at the church during the blast. The groups described the service as an attempt "to widen the conflict to other areas."
Police immediately arrested two men believed to have thrown the bombs into the Petra church. No one was injured.
Police have said one of the two men had fought with Muslims in the Malukus, which have been ravaged by almost three years of intermittent clashes between Muslims and Christians. More than 5,000 people have died in the conflict.
Laskar Jihad has sent volunteers to the Malukus to aid Muslims in their fight against Christians.
The groups said they understand the motive for the attack but in their statement they stopped short of supporting it.
FPI chairman Muhammad Riziq Shihab said the grenade attack on the church was "unjustified" and called on the perpetrators to be brought to justice.
"The suspects are entitled to a fair legal process and our lawyers are ready to defend them," Shihab told the press conference. He said his group will accept any verdict passed on the suspects -- AFP
