Indonesian Counterterrorist Police Arrest 9 Terror Suspects in West Sumatra

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Nine terror suspects were arrested by the Indonesian Police’s Detachment 88 (Densus 88) counterterrorist squad in Padang, West Sumatra during a week-long period at the end of July.

“The suspects, who are allegedly part of a Jamaah Ansharut Daulah [JAD] cell, were apprehended between July 21-27,” said police spokesman Brigadier General Awi Setiyono in Jakarta on August 18.

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“We arrested seven suspects ranging in age from 22 to 49, whom we identified as Bima, Abu Randu, S, Abu Qori, AF, Abu Said, and Abu Rahmat on July 21.”

Awi added that they come from different walks of life, which helped cover up their militant activities. Some are market vendors and office workers. Others were in delivery services, traditional medicine and gardening. 

Awi noted that Densus 88 arrested two more suspects, Ibrahim and Zul, on July 25 and 27, respectively.

“Aside from being JAD members, the men carried out activities ranging from spreading radical propaganda, arms training with improvised firearms, planning terrorist attacks on police stations and sending recruits to fight [for ISIS] in Syria,” he said.

“Ibrahim was also a subordinate of JAD stalwart May Yusral or Pak Umar, who was arrested by the police in August 2018.”

Awi added that Detachment 88 also nabbed another suspected terrorist identified as RB, this time in Denpasar, Bali.

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“We charged [RB] with a number of crimes, including disseminating ISIS propaganda on [militant] Aman Abdurrahman and bombmaking on Facebook and Telegram,” he said.

“We also believe that he intended to carry out terrorist attacks himself, as he has been found in possession of a Japanese katana style blade.”

Detachment 88 has arrested 72 suspected terrorists in 13 provinces between June 1 and August 12. Aside from Bali and West Sumatra, the unit also carried out arrests in such provinces as Jakarta, West, Central and East Java, Riau, and South Kalimantan.

The suspects are charged under a 2018 law on terrorism. If found guilty, they face up to life in prison. 

(Writer: Devina Halim | Editors: Icha Rastika, Krisiandi)

Sources: 

https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2020/08/18/23290471/dalam-7-hari-densus-88-bekuk-9-teroris-anggota-jad-padang?page=all#page2. 

https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2020/08/18/16344981/densus-88-tangkap-tersangka-teroris-di-bali-penyebar-konten-radikal.