Posted on Fri, Sep. 22, 2006


Mobs riot after Indonesia executes 3 Christians


Associated Press

Three Christian militants were executed by firing squad early today for leading attacks on Muslims six years ago that left at least 70 people dead, sparking fresh sectarian clashes on restive Sulawesi island, police said.

Mobs torched cars and police posts in several villages before security forces restored order, said Poso police chief Maj. Rudy Sufahriyadi. Elsewhere they blockaded roads and threw stones at houses and government offices. At least three people were hurt.

Fabianus Tibo, 60, Marinus Riwu, 48, and Dominggus da Silva, 42, were found guilty of leading a Christian militia in a series of attacks in May 2000 - including a machete and gun assault on an Islamic school where dozens of men were seeking shelter.

The case against the three has heightened tensions in the world's most populous Muslim nation. Only a handful of Muslims were convicted in the same violence in 2000, all for 15 years in prison or less.





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