Indonesian police foil IS-linked bomb plots ahead of election result announcement

Those arrested and killed were members of Jamaah Ansharut Daulah, or JAD, a militant network linked to Islamic State

The group reportedly planned to set off bombs at various locations before or during the announcement of election results on May 22

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An Indonesian anti-terror team stand in formation during a drill in Jakarta. Photo: EPA

Published: 8:43pm, 6 May 2019Updated: 10:23pm, 7 May 2019

Indonesian police have arrested seven militants and killed another who were allegedly involved in a plot to launch terror attacks, targeting mass gatherings held in connection with last month’s elections, a police spokesman said on Monday.

National Police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo told a press conference that the arrests took place over the weekend in Bekasi, near Jakarta, and in Bitung in North Sulawesi province.

Five militants were detained in Bekasi, while another was shot dead there as he was about to explode a bomb, Dedi said, adding that two others were arrested in Bitung as they were on the way to join with other militants elsewhere on Sulawesi island.

The round-up comes after Islamic State-inspired Easter suicide bombings killed 257 in Sri Lanka, and as Indonesia marks the anniversary of its worst terror attack in years, which saw a dozen killed at churches targeted by Islamist suicide bombers last May.

Authorities said the arrested militants were members of Jemaah Anshurat Daulah (JAD), a local extremist group that has pledged allegiance to IS and was blamed for last year’s church bombings.

Indonesian police officers show photos of a suspected militant and evidence seized during a press conference in Jakarta on May 6. Photo: AFP

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