Indonesia arrests 59 militants ahead of elections

Indonesia's counter-terrorism force on Tuesday said it has arrested 59 suspected militants linked to terrorist organizations al-Qaeda and Islamic State over suspected plots to disrupt the upcoming presidential elections in February.

The police unit — called Densus 88 — made the arrests in October, a spokesperson said. They also seized propaganda material, bomb-making chemicals, and weapons, Aswin Siregar said at a press conference in the capital, Jakarta.

"I think this served as a warning for them that Densus 88 would not tolerate the slightest threat to our domestic security, especially in the situation leading up to... the election," he said.

What do we know about the militants?

Of the 59 suspected militants, 40 are from IS-linked Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) who were planning an attack on the presidential elections scheduled to be held in February of 2024, Siregar said.

"For them, the election is part of democracy, whereby democracy is immoral. Democracy is something that violates the law for them," he said.

"They planned to carry out attacks on security forces who focus on securing the series of election activities."

The other 19 suspects are tied to the Jemaah Islamiyah network, which has links with Al-Qaeda, Siregar said.

Indonesia's history with terror

The world's most populous Muslim country, Indonesia saw a series of terror attacks in the years after the September 11 attacks on United States.

These included the 2002 Bali bombings at a nightclub and bar on the Indonesian resort island, killing 202 people. That attack is believed to have been carried out by Jemaah Islamiyah.

Security analysts, however, say that the militant threat has decreased significantly in recent years, largely because of successful security operations.

mk/rc (Reuters, AFP)