Hundreds of Christians had fled to police stations and religious institutions for safety Sunday, following a mortar attack that killed two people, the Associated Press said.
Other residents were believed to be hiding in the hills overlooking the capital of the Molucca Islands, which has been racked by three years of fighting between Muslims and Christians. Violence has flared in recent weeks despite a peace accord signed in February.
Witnesses said 19 mortar shells were lobbed into a Christian neighborhood in Ambon on Saturday. Eleven exploded, killing two Christians and injuring at least eight others. It was unclear who fired the mortars.
Police arrested Jafar Umar Thalib, the commander of the militant Laskar Jihad in East Java on Saturday for allegedly inciting violence that led to 13 deaths on April 28, news agencies said.
