1985 Borobudur bombing | |
Partof: | terrorism in Indonesia |
Location: | Borobudur Temple, Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia |
Target: | Borobudur Temple |
Date: | [1] |
Timezone: | UTC + 7 |
Type: | Bombing |
Fatalities: | none |
Injuries: | 0 |
Perps: | Mohammad Jawad alias "Ibrahim" alias "Kresna" (alleged planner) Abdulkadir Ali Alhabsyi (planner) Husein Ali Al Habsyi (perpetrator) [2] |
Motive: | Retaliation 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]
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.