An estimated 1,000-plus Indonesians are said to sympathize with Islamic State militants and seek opportunities to join the group in the Middle East.
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“Another victim who was in a coma since the beginning died last night”, Jakarta police spokesman Muhammad Iqbal told AFP, naming him as Rais Karna, 37, who worked at a nearby bank.
He declined to disclosed the identities of the six or details concerning the operation, believed to have been led by crack commandos from Detachment 88 between Friday and Saturday.
Police said they found evidence the group had planned further attacks targeting security officials and foreigners in other cities such as Bandung.
Jakarta police released the identity of five bombers who were killed during the suicide bombings and gun attacks on Thursday, said Musyafak, Jakarta police medical officer.
“Weapon and IS documents were confiscated [from the suspect]”, the police chief said on his Twitter account.
Boni Boniviano said he was nearly trapped inside one of the buildings targeted by extremists during Thursday’s terrorist attack in the heart of Indonesia’s capital Jakarta.
The brazenness of the Jakarta assault, which had echoes of attacks such as those in Paris in November, suggested a new brand of militancy in a country where extremists typically launch low-level strikes on police.
The attackers were killed subsequently, either by their suicide vests or by police. Widodo is moving to try to ensure calm and confidence in Indonesia after five armed gunmen set off a bomb inside a coffee shop on Thursday in central Jakarta, then engaged in a 2-hour shootout with police before either blowing themselves up or being shot dead.
Indonesian police officers guard near the Starbucks cafe where Thursday’s attack took place, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016. “When I asked them they said they were scared yesterday but now everything is back to normal, that’s important”.
The IS link, if proved, poses a grave challenge to Indonesian security forces because until now the group was known only to have sympathizers with no active cells capable of planning and carrying out such an attack.
He said three other people suspected of being supporters of IS were also arrested between 11 and 15 January. However, Indonesia’s Tourism Minister, as well as numerous tourists now in the country, say they believe the impact of Thursday’s attacks will be limited.
Muslim-majority Malaysia practises a moderate brand of Islam and has not seen any notable terror attacks in recent years.
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Shortly after they arrived, they were greeted with the news of terrorist attacks that hit Jakarta.
