Indonesia executes 3 Christians over Muslim deaths

PALU, Indonesia, Sep 22 (Reuters) Three Christians convicted of leading a mob that killed Muslims were executed by an Indonesian police firing squad early today in Central Sulawesi province, police officials said.

Fabianus Tibo, Marianus Riwu and Dominggus Silva were sentenced to death in 2001, after being found guilty of leading a Christian mob in an attack that killed more than 200 people at an Islamic boarding school during Muslim-Christian clashes in Central Sulawesi's Poso region.

''It has been done... the location was around the airport'', a police official who declined to be identified told Reuters. He said the bodies had been taken to a police hospital.

The trio had originally been scheduled to be shot in August in Palu, the capital of the province, but the execution was then postponed at the eleventh hour after demonstrations by thousands of Indonesians and an appeal from Pope Benedict.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had rejected the men's appeals for a pardon last year. They had asked him a second time for clemency last month.

Reuters DKS VP0440