Death toll in Indonesia attack rises to 8, half of them attackers

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.

Against radicalism: Indonesian men chant slogans during an interfaith rally against radicalism, terrorism and drug abuse in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday.

One of the militants seen carrying a gun and rucksack during the attacks was named as Afif Sunakim. “It turned out that Sugito was a civilian and not one of the attackers”, Iqbal added.

“It has been conveyed to the Immigration service in anticipation of a potential security threat”, said National Police Chief Badrodin Haiti, although he underlined that not all Indonesians in the country have joined ISIL. “All of them died on the spot”, said Spokesperson of the Jakarta Police Comr. Sr. He was given a seven-year jail term for attending a militant camp.

A police spokesman, Anton Charliyan, confirmed on Friday that those who organised the attacks were associated with IS.

Three men were arrested near Jakarta early on Friday, police told local media.

Last week’s attack on Jakarta showed for the first time that Islamic State violence has arrived in Indonesia, but security experts believe the radical group’s footprint is still light here because militants are jostling to be its regional leader.

Indonesian authorities blame the attack on an ISIS faction made up of Malay-speaking Indonesians and Malaysians which is part of the extremist group’s ruthless fight for a self-proclaimed caliphate in Syria and Iraq. He said that one of those arrested had received money transferred from IS.

Insp Gen Karnavian said Naim’s “vision” was to unite various IS-supporting groups across South East Asia.