The '''1998 East Java ninja scare''' was an outbreak of [[mass hysteria]] in [[East Java]], [[Indonesia]], in which the local population believedbelieve they were being targeted by sorcerers known as [[ninja]], who were blamed for mysterious killings of religious leaders by assassins dressed in black. As many as 150-300 “sorcerers” were killed between February and October, with the most deaths occurring between August and September.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/10/20/world/fears-of-sorcerers-spur-killings-in-java.html|title=Fears of Sorcerers Spur Killings in Java|first=Nicholas D.|last=Kristof|date=20 October 1998|publisher=|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref>
