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INDONESIA-CRIME
Indonesia thwarts IS-linked bomb plots: police
JAKARTA, May 7, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Indonesia has thwarted a bid by Islamic
State-linked militants to stage a series of bombings when it announces
official election results this month, authorities said.
Police in the Southeast Asian nation said Monday that they had arrested
eight suspects at several locations over the past week, including in Sumatra
and near the capital Jakarta.
The roundup comes after IS-inspired Easter suicide bombings killed 257 in
Sri lanka, and as Indonesia marks the anniversary of its worst terror attack
in years, which saw a dozen killed at churches targeted by Islamist suicide
bombers last May.
Authorities said the arrested militants were members of Jemaah Anshurat
Daulah (JAD), a local extremist group that has pledged allegiance to IS and
was blamed for last year’s church bombings.
The group planned to set off bombs at various locations when the world’s
biggest Muslim majority nation releases election results on May 22.
There are concerns about street demonstrations after presidential
challenger Prabowo Subianto, a retired military general, warned protests
could erupt over his allegations of massive electoral fraud.
Subianto has vowed to challenge the official results if they confirm that
his rival, President Joko Widodo, won a second term.
National police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said the terror cell planned to
target police stations and take advantage of any chaos before or after the
poll results are confirmed.
“They have two goals — the first is to target police officers and the
second is to exploit election momentum,” he said.
Last year, two families carried out bombings at churches in Indonesia’s
second-biggest city Surabaya, killing a dozen people and children of the
attackers, including two young girls. It was Indonesia’s worst terror attack
in years.
Since the 2002 Bali bombings, which killed over 200 people including
scores of tourists, Indonesia has seen a string of deadly attacks that have
tested its long-held reputation for religious tolerance.
In March, police said they had uncovered a huge stash of explosives linked
to a JAD terror suspect whose wife blew up herself and a child following a
dramatic standoff at their home.
The discovery of some 300 kilograms (660 pounds) of assembled explosives
and bomb-making materials had raised fears that a major attack was being
planned ahead of last month’s elections.
BSS/AFP/FI/ 1505 hrs