Jakarta – Dozens of armed men attacked a residential area in the town of Poso, Central Sulawesi, in the early hours of Sunday morning, killing two people and injuring three others. The unidentified men stormed houses and fired randomly during the predawn attack which caused panic among residents. Security personnel combing the area after the attack found two bodies.

Quoting sources, Antara news agency identified the casualties as Army First Lt. Rudy Ilham and civilian Udeg. Both died of gunshot wounds. Ilham was found in his house located near the local military headquarters, while Udeg reportedly was killed while he was on neighborhood watch. An employee at Poso General Hospital confirmed the two fatalities. The men's bodies were handed over to their families for burial on Sunday afternoon.

The spokesman for the Central Sulawesi Police, Adj. Sr. Comr. Agus Sugianto, said he had not been informed of the attack. "As of now I have not received a report of the incident. It is better to contact directly Poso Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Djasman Baso Opu." Djasman, however, could not be reached for comment.

As of Sunday afternoon, Poso remained tense, though police and military personnel appeared to be in control of the situation.

The attack on Sunday was the fifth such incident in the past five months. A similar incident took place in early April, leaving a policeman dead and three civilians seriously wounded. About 250 people died in clashes that erupted last year between Muslims and Christians in Poso, which is located some 225 kilometers southeast of Palu, the capital of Central Sulawesi.