Jakarta: An elite Indonesian anti-terror squad has arrested 10 Islamic militants and seized a dozen homemade bombs from a group suspected of planning suicide attacks against security forces and the government, police said Sunday.
Eight suspects were arrested earlier in Central Java`s Solo town and a ninth in West Kalimantan on the island of Borneo, national police spokesman Brig Gen Boy Rafli Amar said. He said a 10th suspect, Joko Parkit, was arrested today in Solo.
Parkit`s brother, Eko Joko Supriyanto, was shot to death by police in 2009 during raids seeking Southeast Asia`s most wanted Islamist militant, Noordin M Top Noordin was killed by police a year later. Amar said two of those arrested, Badri Hartono and Rudi Kurnia Putra, worked to recruit young men and taught at least one member of the group how to make bombs.
"They were the central figures of the group who had planned several terror attacks," Amar said. "They recruited, invited young men to be trained in a military-style jihadi camp and bought bomb-making materials."
He said the group planned to bomb the country`s Parliament, shoot police and attack members of the anti-terrorism squad as part of a plan to establish Islamic Sharia law in the world`s most populous Muslim-majority nation. Police seized 12 homemade bombs along with other partially assembled bombs, three rifles, four swords and several jihadist books.
Solo is the hometown of convicted radical cleric Abu Bakar Bashir. Police are investigating possible links between the unnamed group and other terrorism networks, Amar said.
Authorities believe it has now been largely broken up, but are continuing to search for other members.
PTI