Ezra Sihite & Camelia Pasandaran – Indonesia police have revealed that they had installed additional security in anticipation of a terrorist attack on the Bethel Injil Sepenuh (GBIS) church in Solo on Sunday.

Speaking before the House of Representatives on Wednesday, National Police Chief Gen. Timur Pradopo told legislators that local police had assigned two police officers to safeguard the church and had installed CCTV. The comments indicate police had prior knowledge of a planned attack.

Timur said CCTV footage showed that the attack happened at the end of the service. "Nothing happened during the service, the incident happened at 10:55 a.m.," Timur said. "We observed from the CCTV that the bomber came in when the congregation members were about to leave."

He did not say where the police officers assigned to protect the church were when the suicide bomber detonated his device, wounding more than 20 people.

Wan Usman, a defense lecturer at the University of Indonesia (UI), said the comments revealed that there was nothing wrong with Indonesia's intelligence capabilities but the mistakes related purely to competence.

"It is totally the mistake of the police for being unprofessional as the intelligence had provided the information," Usman said.

He said police should have sent professional antiterrorism units to secure the church. "Who did they send? The traffic police." He said the comments showed that there was no need to rush through the controversial intelligence bill currently before the House.