Knife-wielding man wounds Indonesia’s security minister

A knife-wielding man suspected of belonging to a radical Islamic group wounded Indonesia’s security minister, a local police chief and another person in an attack in western Indonesia on Thursday, officials said.

President Joko Widodo called the suspect a terrorist and urged people to help combat radicalism following the stabbing of security minister Wiranto in Banten province, where authorities say Muslim militants have a presence. The attack came just over a week before Widodo’s inauguration for his second five-year term in office.

“He is now being treated and undergoing surgery,” Widodo said after visiting Wiranto, a former armed forces chief. Police said he was in stable condition and conscious after the attack. National police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said Wiranto was stabbed in the abdomen. Local news reports cited a hospital doctor as saying he was stabbed at least twice. (AP)