By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Suspected Islamic terrorists detonated a powerful bomb in a Christian market in Indonesia on Saturday, killing eight people and wounding 45 others as they bought pork for New Year's Eve celebrations.
The blast occurred in Palu on Sulawesi Island, which has been plagued by religious violence in recent years, and followed repeated warnings that terrorists belonging to the al-Qaida-linked Jema'ah Islamiyah terror network were planning fresh attacks over the holiday season.
The early morning explosion sent ball bearings and nails tearing into vendors and shoppers.
The religious affiliations of the dead were not immediately released. However, the market sold only pig and dog meat, both of which are forbidden under Islam. Few, if any, Muslims would have been in the covered market when the bomb exploded.
Despite a peace deal, Islamic terrorists have continued a campaign of bombings, shootings and other attacks on Christians, including market blasts in May that killed 20 people and the beheadings of three schoolgirls in October.