Densus 88 Arrest Again One Suspected Terrorist In Depok

ILLUSTRATION/BETWEEN

JAKARTA - The Special Detachment (Densus) 88 Anti-terror Team of the National Police has again arrested a suspected terrorist member of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist group in the Depok area, West Java.

The Head of the Operational Assistance for the Special Detachment 88 Anti-terror Police, Kombes Aswin Siregar, said that the suspected terrorist who was arrested had the initials AR.

He is a JI leader who was arrested 15 years ago for hiding the perpetrators of the Christmas Eve bombings (2000) and the Bali bombings (2002).

"AR was picked up at his house in the Depok area. It is suspected that AR was arrested by the police 15 years ago," said Aswin, quoted by Antara, Friday, September 10.

Aswin said, in 2004, AR was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison by the court. The suspected AR is a figure who in recent years has occasionally appeared in the news and social media.

Previously, the National Police's Anti-terror Detachment 88 Team had arrested three suspected terrorists in the areas of North Bekasi, West Java and Grogol, West Jakarta. So that the total suspected terrorists who were arrested within one day were four people in three different locations, namely Bekasi, Depok and West Jakarta.

The three terrorists who were first arrested with the initials MEK and S alias MT, were arrested at 05.30 WIB and 06.00 WIB in the North Bekasi area, Bekasi City, West Java. Furthermore, SH was arrested in the Grogol Petamburan area, West Jakarta at 08.00 WIB.

"Currently, all of the suspects are still being investigated by Densus 88," said Aswin.

According to Aswin, in this arrest, the Detachment 88 Anti-terror Team of the Police targeted the top management of JI as a terror organization that is still active in Indonesia. After last July, they succeeded in uncovering the JI group's funding system by arresting the suspects involved.

The three suspected terrorists arrested by the Densus 88 Anti-terror Team are members of the central board or Markaziyah Jamaah Islamiyah (JI).

"Some people from this group do not seem to have experienced any deterrence, some who have been arrested have not stopped their activities," said Aswin.

The alleged MEK was involved in JI as a Qodiman Barat staff in 2011 whose job was to take care of the personal and non-structural organization.

In addition, MEK is also the chairman of the Nusantara Esa Shield Management Committee in 2017 and the Chair of the Shield Trustee in 2020.

"The shield is the wing of the Jamaah Islamiyah organization in the field of advocacy," said Aswin.

Meanwhile, the suspect S alias MT was a member of the 'fundraising' Perisai in 2018, the supervisor of the Shield of Nusantara Esa in 2020 and a member of Tholiah Jabodetabek during Hari's leadership.

Another suspect who was arrested was SH, a member of the Jemaah Islamiyah Syuro Council who had attended military training in Moro, Southern Philippines.

SH is known to have given an infaq of Rp. 40 million in 2013-15 to Patria through Sholeh Habib who had been caught in a previous operation.

"In the investigation it was revealed that SH was also a member of the Guardian of the Shield in 2017," said Aswin.

Aswin said Jamaah Islamiyah is one of the banned terror organizations that is still actively operating under the surface. Recently, it is indicated that the JI group is trying to transform into various normative movements, one of which is education and the political sphere.

The National Police's Anti-terror Detachment 88 Team, said Aswin, has never relaxed its operations in various areas related to terrorist networks that continue to make preparations for their actions. Efforts to prevent and suppress terrorism will be stronger if it is supported by community participation so as not to provide space for terrorist actors to live in their territory.

"We the police cannot move alone, there must be an active role from the community to always carry out a massive rejection movement against this radical group, at least starting from the family and the surrounding environment," said Aswin.