Indonesia: 1 militant killed, 2 more held

The Indonesian police killed one suspected militant and arrested two more in raids across the country on Friday, a day after an attack by Islamic State (ISIS) suicide bombers and gunmen in the heart of the Southeast Asian nation’s capital.

Just seven people were killed in Thursday’s late-morning siege near a busy shopping district, despite multiple blasts and a gunfight, and five of the dead were the attackers themselves.

Nevertheless, it was the first time the radical group has targeted the country with the world’s largest Muslim population, and the brazenness of the attack suggested a new brand of militancy in a country more used to low-level strikes on the police.

Police chiefs across the country were on high alert, some embassies in Jakarta were closed for the day and security was stepped up on the resort island of Bali, a draw for tourists from Australia and other Asian countries.

“It’s clear that the (Jakarta attackers) didn’t set this up themselves. For this, we are searching for the networks and who was involved in this action,” said Anton Charliyan, national police spokesman.

Security forces killed one suspected militant in a gun battle in Central Sulawesi, while two others were arrested in the city of Cirebon in West Java.

The three were believed to be ISIS supporters, but not directly connected to the Jakarta attack, the police said.

Returning to the area outside Jakarta’s oldest department store, Sarinah, where Thursday’s attack unfolded, the city’s police chief said the rise of the ISIS was a cause for serious concern.

“We need to strengthen our response and preventive measures, including legislation to prevent them ... and we hope our counterparts in other countries can work together because it is not home-grown terrorism, it is part of the ISIS network,” Tito Karnavian said, using an acronym for the Syria-based group.

In response to the Jakarta attacks, Philippine President Benigno Aquino ordered security forces to strengthen defenses of “soft” targets. Malaysia placed the country on its highest alert.

Experts agree that there is a growing threat from radicalised Muslims inspired by the ISIS, some of whom may have fought with the group in Syria.

However, they said the low death toll on Thursday pointed to the involvement of poorly-trained local militants whose weapons were crude.

An Indonesian and a man of dual Canadian-Algerian nationality were killed along with the attackers. Twenty-four people were seriously wounded, including an Austrian, a German and a Dutchman.

The ISIS said in its claim of responsibility that “a group of soldiers of the caliphate in Indonesia targeted a gathering from the crusader alliance that fights the Islamic State in Jakarta”.

The police confirmed that the ISIS was responsible and named an Indonesian militant, Bahrun Naim, as the mastermind.

It believev Naim leads a militant network known as Katibah Nusantara and is pulling strings from Raqqa, ISIS’ de facto capital in Syria.

“His vision is to unite all ISIS supporting elements in Southeast Asia,” Jakarta police chief Karnavian said.

Meanwhile, the UN Security Council has strongly condemned the barbaric terrorist attack in Jakarta and expressed concern over the increasing threat posed by terrorist organisations like the ISIS and Al Qaeda. Expressing their deep sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the people and government of Indonesia, the members of the Security Council paid tribute to the courage of the Indonesian security forces.