Indonesia arrests 11 terrorism suspects in raids across six provinces

JAKARTA – Indonesia’s counter-terrorism police have arrested 11 suspected militants across six provinces, uncovering an alleged web of online recruitment and weapons training that has renewed concerns over the country’s terrorism threat.The arrests began on Oct 2 and were carried out in West Java, Central Java, Central Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, Riau and North Maluku, the police’s Densus 88 counter-terrorism unit said in a statement on Oct 4.Densus 88 did not disclose evidence of plans for a specific attack, but said the suspects were involved in varying levels of coordination, recruitment and training across several regions.The nationwide operation comes as South-east Asia faces a new wave of youth extremism.It also comes as Indonesia enters its fourth year without a terrorist attack, after years of sustained efforts to dismantle militant networks. But authorities have warned that extremist groups continue to recruit, raise funds and spread propaganda, increasingly through digital platforms.The 11 suspects, aged between 22 and 52, are believed to have links to networks affiliated with Daulah Islamiyah, a term widely used in Indonesia to refer to the Islamic State (ISIS) and its ideology, as well as other terrorist networks, Densus 88 spokesman Mayndra Eka Wardhana said.Their alleged roles ranged from consolidating networks and conducting training to spreading propaganda and recruiting supporters, in person and through social media. Some were also suspected of involvement in conspiracies to commit terrorist offences, Mayndra said.Preliminary investigations found links between suspects in different parts of the country, including through online meetings used for indoctrination, network consolidation and other activities.“One of the patterns discovered was the holding of online meetings that virtually connected a number of Daulah Islamiyah supporters from several regions,” Mayndra said.Investigators also found indications that some suspects had participated in training related to militant activities, including shooting exercises. Densus 88 did not say where the training took place or whether any weapons were seized.The suspects were identified by Densus 88 only by their initials: HN, 43; SM alias NM, 52; HA, 45; YDKAP, 22; S, 49; A, 32; CG, 29; J, 36; MF, 37; AF, 26; and MW, 42.In Central Sulawesi, provincial police spokesman Achmad Muhaimin said three suspects, identified as A, CG and S, were arrested on Oct 2.A and CG were detained in Tomoli Utara village in Parigi Moutong regency, north of the provincial capital Palu, while S was arrested in Poso regency, to the south-east.Poso has a long history of militant activity and was previously the base of the East Indonesia Mujahideen (MIT), an ISIS-linked militant group whose members were hunted by Indonesian security forces for years.Achmad said Densus 88 was still investigating the three suspects’ alleged affiliations.Separately, a young man identified as YDK was arrested by Densus 88 in Solo, Central Java, on the evening of Oct 1.His family said he was detained after leaving home to collect his salary and that they learnt of his arrest only after Densus 88 officers arrived the following morning with an arrest notice.YDK’s father said his son worked at a water-refill business and a duck restaurant and that the family had not previously noticed anything unusual about his behaviour.The family said it had not been told what role he was suspected of playing or which incident his arrest was connected to, and called on police to respect his legal rights and the presumption of innocence.Densus 88 has not publicly provided a province-by-province breakdown of all 11 arrests or disclosed whether investigators uncovered plans for a specific attack.Online radicalisationThe latest operation also comes amid growing concern among Indonesian authorities over potential attacks, as well as online radicalisation and recruitment.The last terrorist attack in Indonesia was a suicide bombing at a police station in Bandung in December 2022 that killed one officer and wounded 10 others. National Counter-Terrorism Agency chief Eddy Hartono said in August that authorities had thwarted about 28 planned attacks over the previous four years.Densus 88 said in September that more than 300 children had become involved in online “true crime communities” that could leave them vulnerable to recruitment by extremist networks. Such communities are an online subculture centred on real-life violent crimes and their perpetrators.Authorities have also warned about the use of digital platforms to finance extremist activity.Indonesia’s anti-money laundering agency, the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK), said in August that digital platforms were being used not only to spread propaganda and recruit members, but also to raise, transfer, store and use funds for terrorism-related activities.On Oct 2, PPATK said public fund-raising through digital platforms, the misuse of non-profit organisations and self-funding were among the highest-risk methods of terrorism financing in Indonesia.Following the arrests, investigators carried out searches and seizures and began examining evidence and questioning witnesses and suspects.Mayndra said the operation was intended to disrupt networks before their activities could develop into acts of violence.“The law enforcement action is part of the police’s efforts at early detection and prevention of potential acts of terrorism,” the unit said.