Indonesia beefs up security ahead of Hari Raya weekend
JAKARTA Indonesia's National Police Chief Tito Karnavian has put his force on high alert ahead of the Hari Raya holiday over concern about possible terrorist attacks, as millions of Muslims around the country mark the end of Ramadan this weekend.
The move came after Densus 88, the counter-terrorism unit, arrested two men in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara, on Saturday.
They were suspected of planning to bomb a police station.
The duo was among 36 Indonesians with links to the Jemaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) terror network who were nabbed following last month's suicide bombings at a bus terminal in Kampung Melayu, East Jakarta, that killed three policemen.
Of the 36, only a handful were connected to the bombings while some were about to leave for the Middle East to fight for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), General Tito told reporters on Tuesday.
"But they all belong to JAD cells planning terror attacks."
He also confirmed that the suspects had links to Bahrun Naim, a militant who joined ISIS and is said to have had a hand in recent attacks.
- THE STRAITS TIMES
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