Indonesia’s elite counter terrorism police arrested eight suspected militants in recent days believed to be part of a new cell linked with Jemaah Islamiyah an Al-Qaeda linked group authorities said on April 20, 2024.
Police conducted raids in Central Sulawesi province between April 16 and April 18, 2024 said Agus Nugroho, the police chief, adding that the five suspects were arrested in a city of Palu, two in Sigi, and one in Poso which is a renowned extremist hotbed.
Two laptops, several cellular phones and documents including jihadist books were seized and suspects were being interrogated Nugroho said. National Police spokesperson Trunoyudo Andiko said the arrests were the results of information obtained from 59 suspected militants detained in October 2023.
“The eight all actively participate in organisation activities, particularly in military style training and collecting funds for alleged plans of terror acts, Andiko told reporters at the National Police Headquarters in the capital Jakarta. He added that convicted leaders of the group and veteran fighters in Afghanistan were recruiting and training new members.
Jemaah Islamiyah is responsible for conducting several attacks inside Indonesia namely, the 2002 bombings on the resort island of Bali that killed 202 people mostly, foreign tourists. A court banned the group in 2008 and constant counter-terrorism crackdowns supported by the United States and Australia have weakened it further.
Last year the police arrested a total of suspected militants, including four women, fatally shot two others on the Sumatran islands. Militant attacks on foreigners in Indonesia have been replaced in years by smaller, less deadly strikes from the government mainly police and anti-terrorism forces and people militants believe to be infidels inspired by the Islamic State groups tactics abroad.
