A team from Densus 88, an elite counter-terrorism force, prior to an operation in Indonesia. (Government of Indonesia)

SURABAYA, Indonesia (Morning Star News) – Counter-terrorism forces in Indonesia arrested seven suspects on terrorism charges before and during Pope Francis’ visit to the country Sept. 3-6, local media outlets reported.

Special Detachment Densus 88, an elite counter-terrorism force, arrested the seven suspects from different parts of the country following their social media posts threatening to bomb and otherwise kill the pope and burn down sites of his appearances in Jakarta, media outlets reported.

“Densus 88 has taken legal action against seven individuals…who made threats in the form of propaganda or terror threats via social media in response to the pope’s arrival,” special detachment spokesman Aswin Siregar told reporters in Jakarta on Thursday (Sept. 5), according to the Jakarta Post. “There was also a threat to set fire to the locations the pope paid courtesy visits.”

Though the suspects came from different areas with no links to each other, most suspected terrorists are connected with or influenced by Islamic extremist groups such as the Islamic State, Kompas.com reported. Aswin gave no information on the motives of the suspects.

Two of the suspected terrorists were arrested on Sept. 2, one in Jakarta and another later that day in Bogor, West Java Province, about 31 miles east of Jakarta. The next day, three others were arrested in Bekasi, about 29 miles east of Jakarta, with at least one reportedly linked to the Islamic State (ISIS).

One of the suspects “conveyed provocation on social media to burn down places of worship (churches) during the pope’s visit to Jakarta,” said Aswin. “E.R., who uses the ABU MUSTAQIIM account, commented on Facebook with a provocative sentence, namely ‘BBBOOOMMM!!!!’ in response to Pope Francis’ sermon which will be preached at the Istiqlal Mosque.”

Two other suspects reportedly arrested on Sept. 4 were from Sumatra, one in Padang Padiaman on the western part of the island, and the other in Bangka Belitung on the east side, with one of them posting, “I WILL BOMB THE POPE. I’M A TERRORIST…JUST BE CAREFUL…WAIT FOR NEWS YEEE,” Aswin said, according to the Jakarta Post.

One of the suspects, identified only as R.S., wrote on TikTok on Sept. 5 that he would shoot the pope, Aswin reportedly said.

“The legal process against two suspects, namely D.F. and F.A., was carried out by Densus 88 Anti-Terror,” Aswin reportedly said. “The legal process against three suspects, namely R.H.F., L.B. and E.R., was carried out by Polda Metro Jaya, accompanied by Densus 88 Anti-Terror.”

The suspect identified as H.S. was prosecuted by the Polda Bangka Belitung accompanied by Densus 88, and the process against R.S. was carried out by Polres Padang Pariaman and Densus 88, he said.

Other terrorist threats have appeared in Indonesia this year. On July 31 in East Java, authorities arrested a 19-year-old member of an Islamic extremist group and his parents, foiling a plan to suicide bomb two church sites. The high school student identified only by his initials, H.O.K, was arrested as he was on his way dispose of evidence in Jalan Langsep, Sisir village, Batu City, in Malang Regency, said Aswin said.

He described the suspect as a supporter of the Islamic State, becoming a member online of the Philippines-based Dawlah Islamiyah, said to be affiliated with ISIS. The suspect and accomplices were allegedly planning to carry out suicide bombings at two churches in Malang Regency, East Java.

Earlier this year the head of Indonesia’s counter-terrorism agency said officials are focusing on protecting teenaged children and women from Islamic radicalization as they have become the most targeted groups.

Citing a report by the Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace, Rycko Amelza Dahniel of the National Counter-terrorism Agency (Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Terorisme, or BNPT) on Feb. 20 said that from 2016 to 2023, the percentage of high school students in five cities who moved from “passive intolerant” to “active intolerant” doubled, from 2.4 percent to 5 percent.

Rycko said the Indonesia Knowledge Hub (I-Khub) BNPT Outlook 2023 showed that women, children and teenagers were the groups most targeted for radicalization, both offline and online.

Indonesia ranked 42nd on the Christian support organization Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. Indonesian society has adopted a more conservative Islamic character, and churches involved in evangelistic outreach are at risk of being targeted by Islamic extremist groups, according to the WWL report.

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