Indonesian police has arrested 43 suspected militants, from 7 different provinces of the island nation. The arrests were done in relation to the last week's suicide attack outside a police station in Medan, Sumatra. A 24-year old, with supposed links to the dreaded Islamic State, blew himself up outside a police station, last Wednesday. The attacker died at the site, while 6 were injured. Those injured included 4 police personnel and 2 civilians.
According to the National Police spokesperson Dedi Prasetyo, two suspected bomb-makers were shot dead in a raid on Saturday, in North Sumatra province's Hamparan Perak village. They resisted arrest and tried to attack the police. "The pair resisted arrest and tried to attack police with sharp weapons and an air gun", Prasetyo said at a press conference on Monday in Jakarta. The two were suspected of have made bomb that was used in the last week's Medan attack
According to the spokesperson, those arrested are suspected to have links with the local affiliate of the Islamic State group known as the Jama'ah Anshorut Daula (JAD). Atleast 43 suspected militants, including the group's leader, were arrested from 7 provinces, DW reported.
Among the suspects arrested in the raids were 20 members of JAD who have attended military-style jihadi training in North Sumatra's Mount Sibayak, Prasetyo said. He further informed that police seized explosives, guns, knives, arrows and jihadi documents from the suspects.
JAD, the local affiliate of ISIS was banned by an Indonesian court in 2018 after the militant group was held responsible for a series of attacks in the island nation. The group was designated a terror organization by the USA, in 2017. The suicide attack with suspected links to ISIS came a month after the country's security minister, Wiranto, was stabbed by a pair, reported to have links with an ISIS affiliated militant group.
