Jakarta, Apr 15 (IANS): Indonesian police on Thursday shot dead a man allegedly linked to last month's suicide bombing outside a church in South Sulawesi province, a spokesman said.

Members of the police anti-terrorism unit used lethal force after the suspect attacked them with a sickle during a raid on his home in the provincial capital Makassar, dpa news agency quoted a police spokesman as saying.

"The suspect was believed involved in the group that attacked the cathedral church," Zulfan said.

Police have arrested at least 31 people in connection with the March 28 attack on the Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in Makassar, which left the two attackers dead and injured 20 people.

Investigators said a newly married couple linked to Jamaah Ansharud Daulah (JAD), a militant network that supports the Islamic State terror group, carried out the attack.

JAD has been blamed for a series of militant attacks in Indonesia in recent years, including suicide attacks on three churches in Surabaya, the country's second-largest city, in 2018.

The coordinated attacks involving two families, including children, killed 15 people and 13 attackers.