Heightened tensions from the Israel-Hamas conflict and the upcoming contentious presidential election in Indonesia have created a volatile environment that could inflame emotions, thus increasing the risk of terrorist attacks.
Security experts warned that the recent arrests of 59 people suspected of plotting attacks to disrupt the polls in 2024 will unlikely be the last batch of radicals to be picked up.
Indonesia’s anti-terror police said the suspects had allegedly planned to target police facilities to disrupt the presidential and legislative elections on Feb 14.
During the nearly month-long arrests in October, the Detachment 88 counter-terrorism task force (Densus 88) also seized firearms, bomb-making chemicals and propaganda materials.
While the militant threat in Indonesia has diminished significantly due to successful security force operations, the recent arrests show that the terrorism threat very much remains in the country, which has seen deadly large-scale terror attacks like the Bali bombings of 2002 that killed more than 200 people.
Dr Noor Huda Ismail, a visiting fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said the intricate nature of terrorist networks and the persistent influence of radical ideologies mean that individuals or groups with similar extremist views and violent intentions may still be out there.
The upcoming elections – including the three-way fight among presidential candidates with massive followings – and the ongoing war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas have the potential to create narratives that extremist groups will exploit to rile up people.
“Radical groups often exploit ongoing conflicts and political instability to promote their ideologies and recruit new members,” said Dr Noor Huda, whose work focuses on terrorism in the region.
This story is from the November 09, 2023 edition of The Straits Times.
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This story is from the November 09, 2023 edition of The Straits Times.
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