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Amy Chew

The deadly prison riot in Indonesia last week, in which 218 prisoners escaped and five people died, was a disaster waiting to happen.
To date, police have recaptured 93 out of the 218 inmates who escaped from Tanjung Gusta jail in the country's fourth-largest city of Medan.

Among those still at large are four convicted terrorists, including Fadli Sadama, who was jailed for 11 years for robbing a bank and attacking a police compound in 2010.
Sadama is viewed as the "most dangerous" among the four and could revitalise Indonesia's terror groups, which have been weakened by police raids and arrests in recent years, police sources say.
The militants' escape also comes after 250 sticks of dynamite went missing in Bogor, West Java, on June 27 while being transported to a mining company, raising fears of the explosives falling into the wrong hands.
"I am concerned about this escape and the missing dynamite. If the missing dynamite should fall into the hands of the fugitive terrorists, it would be very dangerous," a senior police source in Jakarta said.
The combination of overcrowding and outnumbered prison guards saw the jail go up in flames during a protest by inmates against lack of water and electricity.
"Most of the prisons in Indonesia are built to hold 1,000 people. From the eight prisons I have been to, each hold an average of 2,500," the police source said.
Guards were also grossly outnumbered, with 100 wardens to secure 2,500 prisoners in each prison. "As such, the prison guards are unable to monitor the militants and their activities," the police source said.
Militants were not separated from the rest of the inmates in prisons, providing a large pool of people from which the militants could recruit. "I estimate at least 1 per cent of the 2,500 prisoners in every prison were recruited by militants," the police source said.
Militants also use Facebook to recruit members, according to the International Institute of Peace Building, Indonesia's sole private deradicalisation group.
"Facebook is a very popular tool to carry out militants' propaganda, recruitment and communication among themselves undetected," said Noor Huda Ismail, founder of the institute and a counterterrorism expert.
Huda said the new members were usually recruited to be couriers and fundraisers.
In prison, militants enjoyed a fearsome reputation and were feared by both the prison guards and convicts.
"That is why when you ask a prison guard about a militant, he will always reply, 'He is good, there is no problem'," the police source said.
An estimated 60 per cent of the prison population were drug offenders and many of them had plenty of cash. They were a source of income for militants, who would sell them such goods as cooked instant noodles and mobile phone top-up cards.
"This [prison business] is one of the avenues for militants to raise funds for their various activities," the police source said.
Indonesia has suffered several terror attacks, including the 2002 Bali bombings, which killed 202 people, including 11 Hong Kong residents. The blasts were blamed on Jemaah Islamiah (JI), a regional terror network with links to al-Qaeda.
Indonesia's special anti-terror task force, Den88, has since arrested more than 600 militants and foiled several bomb and assassination plots.
"The runaway terrorists will try to revive their network but … they will struggle to do it because most of the existing members of the violent faction of militant groups are fractured and bickering with each other," Huda said.
"We will see the [terror] attacks if these runaway terrorists manage to find safe houses, new recruits, logistical support and the right moment to do their attacks.
"The major jihadi groups like JI are focusing on dakwah (proselytising) through many different and completely new names," Huda said.


Terrorists among inmates still run free after Medan jailbreak

Women talk through a window to inmates in Tanjung Gusta jail, Medan, after a riot during which more than 200 inmates escaped.Photo: AFP

Fadli Sadama

News

Asia

Indonesian police have caught 93 of 218 prisoners who escaped during riot, but there are fears militants on loose could link up and stage attacks


The deadly prison riot in Indonesia last week, in which 218 prisoners escaped and five people died, was a disaster waiting to happen. To date, police have recaptured 93 out of the 218 inmates who escaped from Tanjung Gusta jail in the country's fourth-largest city of Medan.


Terrorists among inmates still run free after Medan jailbreak

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Indonesian police have caught 93 of 218 prisoners who escaped during riot, but there are fears militants on loose could link up and stage attacks

Indonesian police have caught 93 of 218 prisoners who escaped during riot, but there are fears militants on loose could link up and stage attacks