JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) – Indonesian police said they have arrested 12 people suspected of links to the Jakarta bombings, as the death toll in the brazen attacks by Muslim militants rose to eight after a third civilian succumbed to wounds.
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India on Friday strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Jakarta that left two civilians dead and 19 others injured.
Indonesian authorities blame it on an ISIS faction made up primarily of Malay-speaking Indonesians and Malaysians involved in the extremist group’s ruthless fight for a self-proclaimed caliphate in Syria and Iraq.
Police have named an Islamic State-linked Indonesian militant as the mastermind behind the bombing here Thursday that killed seven people, including five of the perpetrators.
The dual Algerian-Canadian citizen shot by militants was named as Tahar Amer-Ouali, while the sole Indonesian killed, Rico Hermawan, was being fined by the police when the attackers blew up a traffic post.
“These terrorist attacks can occur anywhere and anytime, that’s why we are continuing to ensure that our law enforcement security and intelligence have the resources and the support that they need to keep Australians safe”, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said.
“Now we are sweeping in and outside Java, because we have captured several members of their group, and have identified them”, Indonesian National Police spokesman Anton Charliyan said. He did not elaborate.
One of the assailants was identified as Afif, who was sentenced to seven years in prison on domestic terrorism charges in 2010.
It said they were arrested for suspected links to the attackers.
National police spokesman Maj.
A day after the attack, wreaths and tributes expressing condolences to the victims, and defiance against those who attacked, were stacked against the nearby police outpost.
Haiti said a suspected militant was killed in a gunbattle in central Sulawesi, the hiding place of Indonesia’s most wanted Islamic radical, Abu Wardah Santoso, who leads the East Indonesia Mujahidin network that has pledged allegiance to IS. Officials said the attackers were armed with light weapons and suicide belts.
The police chief added that on January 11, three Malaysian IS suspects were arrested by security forces after being deported from Turkey.
The Jakarta attack, following the extremist assaults in San Bernardino, Paris and Istanbul, suggests that the ability of IS to direct or inspire attacks around the world is building, he said.
In this June 18, 2014, file photo, a man wears a headband showing the Islamic State group’s symbol during a protest calling for the closure of a local prostitution complex in Surabaya, Indonesia.
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“A large screen atop the building containing the Starbucks displayed messages that said “#prayforjakarta” and “Indonesia Unite”.
