1985 Borobudur bombing
Part of terrorism in Indonesia
The damage of several stupas of Borobudur upper terraces caused by Borobudur Bombing terrorist attack on 21 January 1985
Magelang (Java)
Magelang (Indonesia)
LocationBorobudur Temple, Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia
Date21 January 1985; 39 years ago (1985-01-21) [1] (UTC + 7)
TargetBorobudur Temple
Attack type
Bombing
Deathsnone
Injured0
PerpetratorsMohammad Jawad alias "Ibrahim" alias "Kresna" (alleged planner)
Abdulkadir Ali Alhabsyi (planner)
Husein Ali Al Habsyi (perpetrator) [2]
MotiveRetaliation from the Tanjung Priok massacre

Nine bombs were detonated at the Borobudur Buddhist temple located in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia on 21 January 1985. There were no human casualties in this attack; however, nine stupas on the upper rounded terraces of Arupadhatu were badly damaged by bombs.[3][4]

Part of a series on
Violence against Buddhists

Perpetrator

In 1991, a blind Muslim preacher, Husein Ali Al Habsyi, was sentenced to life imprisonment for masterminding a series of bombings in the mid-1980s including this temple attack.[5] It is believed that the attack was in retaliation from the Tanjung Priok massacre in 1984. During trial, Habsyi refused to be held responsible for the attack and mentioned Mohammad Jawad, a mysterious figure, as the true mastermind. The identity of Mohammad Jawad remains unknown. On 23 March 1999, Habsyi was pardoned and released by Indonesian President B. J. Habibie's administration.[4] Two other members of a right-wing extremist group that carried out the bombings were each sentenced to 20 years in 1986 and another man received a 13-year prison term.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Semblin Stupa Borobudur Diledakkan Senin Dini Hari" [Nine Borobudur Stupa Exploded Early Monday]. Kompas. 1985-01-22.
  2. ^ "Borobudur Bombing, 16 Years Later"[permanent dead link] - Tempo Online, May 17, 1999. Accessed May 11, 2010.
  3. ^ "1,100-Year-Old Buddhist Temple Wrecked By Bombs in Indonesia". The Miami Herald. 22 January 1985. Retrieved 17 August 2008.
  4. ^ a b "Teror Bom di Indonesia (Beberapa di Luar Negeri) dari Waktu ke Waktu" (in Indonesian). Tempo Interaktif.com. 17 April 2004. Archived from the original on 17 September 2011. Retrieved 22 Jul 2016.
  5. ^ Crouch, Harold (2002). "The Key Determinants of Indonesia's Political Future" (PDF). Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. 7. ISSN 0219-3213.


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