2004 Poso bus bombing

On 13 November 2004, an improvised explosive device detonated aboard a minibus stopped at a traditional market in Poso, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, at approximately 9:15 a.m. local time. The vehicle was travelling from the predominantly Christian village of Sape to the nearby village of Tentenna, carrying passengers to the majority-Christian village of Silancak. The market where the bus had stopped was located roughly 50 metres from a police station and was especially crowded at the time because of preparations for the upcoming Eid ul-Fitr festival.

Six people were killed in the attack: three Protestant passengers died instantly in the blast, while three others succumbed to their injuries later in hospital. Three additional people were injured. According to police reports, witnesses saw three individuals working together before the explosion — a man who placed an unidentified object on the minibus and two women who acted as lookouts while he did so. The group then left the scene.

Indonesia's Chief Security Minister at the time, Adi Sucipto, described the bombing as an act of terrorism. Officials noted that the attack followed a string of earlier violent incidents in the Poso area over the preceding year that had caused a combined total of 25 deaths, indicating the bombing occurred amid a broader pattern of sectarian and terrorist violence in the region.

On 19 November 2004, six days after the bombing, two male suspects were arrested in connection with the attack following a search for two men who had been seen leaving the scene on a motorcycle. Both men were later released without any charges being filed. No further named suspects, arrests, or convictions have been publicly reported in connection with this bombing based on available sourcing.

The motive behind the attack has not been publicly established. As of the available reporting, the case remains unresolved, with no individual or group having been charged or convicted for the bombing.