Jakarta – A mob of some 200 Muslims armed with crude weapons set fire to a church in a town south of Jakarta early Tuesday, residents said.

Some 30 police who rushed to the burning Jemaat Salom church in the Depok township were helpless as they were outnumbered by the arsonists, armed with machetes and other home made weapons.

Residents said Muslims had been threatening to demolish the building for the past month because the church had yet to obtain a special building licence from the authorities, as required by law. But they said the arsonists had come from outside the area.

The burning came a day after a church leader signed a security guarantee for the church, witnessed by the mayor of Depok, which lies some 20 kilometers south of the capital. Police contacted by AFP confirmed the incident but refused to give further details.