Hundreds of security forces patrolled a tense Indonesian province Monday to prevent revenge attacks after assailants wearing black veils beheaded three Christian schoolgirls and seriously wounded a fourth. National police spokesman Maj. Gen. Aryanto Budihardjo said the grisly murders were carried out by "terrorists" seeking to destabilize Central Sulawesi, which has long been plagued by violence between Muslims and Christians. He said it was no coincidence that the attack occurred just days before the biggest holiday on the Islamic calendar.More than 1,500 soldiers and police armed with assault rifles patrolled the town of Poso on Monday as Muslims flocked to markets to prepare for the Eid al-Fitr celebration, which takes place Thursday and Friday, to mark the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. "The people who carried out this terrorist act hoped to spark a new cycle of violence just as relations between Muslim and Christian communities are improving," Budihardjo said.
So far, no arrests have been made and there are no key suspects, he said. Only six people have been questioned, including the wounded teenager. Fearing retaliations, religious leaders condemned the killings and urged calm. Both sides have refrained from blaming Muslim militants for the violence. "Until authorities arrest the killers and disclose the motive, it's too early to say this attack was religiously motivated," said Syafii Maarif, leader of Indonesia's second largest nonpolitical Muslim group Muhammadiyah. "But I can say the Muslim community is shocked and deeply concerned about the inhumane killing of innocent students," he said, adding that the victims deserve justice.