ANN/THE STAR – Indonesia is on the lookout for any terrorists who might take an advantage in copying the recent deadly attacks in Russia and conduct it in the Indonesian archipelago, the government said.
Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Hadi Tjahjanto told a press conference on Monday that the government was monitoring both groups and individuals who could stage similar attacks, including self-radicalised lone wolves. In what has been the deadliest attack in Russia in two decades, four men burst into the Crocus City Hall near Moscow on the night of March 22 during a concert, killing more than 130 people and injuring over 100 others.
The Islamic State (IS) militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Following the incident, the Indonesian authorities stepped up their monitoring of potential terror networks, said Hadi. He added that agencies involved included his ministry, the National Counter-terrorism Agency (BNPT), the State Intelligence Agency and the anti-terror police force Densus 88.
BNPT head Rycko Amelza, present at the press conference, said on social media, there were still people supporting the actions of terrorists. His agency has been trying to detect and stamp out radical propaganda, and he called for more sharing of intelligence among different security agencies in Indonesia.
“There are (terrorist) cells all over the world, but these cells are ideological cells. How do we fight this ideology? With knowledge, we have to share knowledge,” said Rycko, referring to intelligence on terror networks in Indonesia.
Indonesia has a history of copycat attacks, said a senior researcher at Jakarta-based think-tank Centre for Radicalism and Deradicalisation Studies Muh Taufiqurrohman.
“Based on the movement of suspected terrorists in the field (so far), we haven’t seen any real attack plan inspired by the Moscow attack,” he said.
