3 Mosques Burned in Indonesian Town
Thursday, December 3, 1998; 5:28 a.m. EST

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) -- Three mosques were set on fire in an Indonesian town, raising fears of spreading religious violence, the official Antara news agency reported today.

Troops patrolled Ngabang, a town 500 miles north of the capital, Jakarta, while crowds gathered to protect mosques and churches from additional attacks.

A man was arrested on Wednesday in connection with the burnings, security forces said.

On Monday, rioters in Kupang, 1,170 miles southeast of Jakarta, burned and ransacked 15 mosques in retaliation church burnings last month in the capital.

The riots have increased fear that attacks on religious sites will escalate in Indonesia, amidst its worst economic crisis in decades.

Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim nation.