Indonesian police arrest 12 after Jakarta attack

The Indonesian police believe Mr. Naim staged the attack to stake his claim to the leadership of 30 Southeast Asian militant groups that have declared allegiance to IS, but have not yet been accorded “governorate” status by the group’s Syria-based leadership.

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) – Indonesian police said Saturday they have arrested 12 people suspected of links to the Jakarta bombings.

Jakarta’s police chief told reporters: “ISIS is behind this attack definitely”, using a common acronym for Islamic State, and he identified an Indonesian militant, Bahrun Naim, as the man responsible for plotting it.

Alarm around the world over the danger stemming from Islamic State rocketed after the Paris attacks and the killing of 14people in California in December.

Indonesian authorities blame the attack on an Islamic State 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.

Seven people died in Thursday’s attack, which also left more than 20 people injured.

The rapid-fire series of bombings and a shootout between gunmen and police erupted in a busy part of the capital, lined with malls and foreign missions, shocking moderate-Muslim Indonesians and leaving two civilians and five attackers dead. He did not elaborate.

National police chief Gen. Badrodin said one of the men killed, known as Sunakim, was previously sentenced to seven years in prison for his involvement in Jemaah Islamiyah-orchestrated military-style training in Indonesia’s Aceh province.

It took security forces about three hours to end the attack near a Starbucks cafe and Sarinah, Jakarta’s oldest department store, after a team of militants traded gunfire with police and blew themselves up. Police did not identify the customer but said he or she suffered minor injuries.

“National police are on their highest alert, especially in areas considered targets of terror, like police stations, government offices, and embassies, with army backup”.

Nine weapons, five mobile phones and one motorcycle have been seized during the raids to arrest the 12 persons, he said.

A police spokesman said one of the attacker’s homes was searched.

The attackers captured worldwide publicity by carrying out the first deadly attack in Jakarta since 2009, weeks after authorities said they knew of a credible threat.

Authorities have concentrated on hunting down the remaining most wanted Indonesian militants in remote locations while an IS-inspired network developed in Jakarta’s suburbs.

But the language and cultural commonalities of Katibah Nusantara followers could help keep fighters in the fold and provide an enduring tool for coordinating attacks across Southeast Asia and recruiting more fighters to Syria, analysts said. Terrorism experts say IS supporters in Indonesia are drawn from the remnants of Jemaah Islamiyah and other groups.

Jakarta residents were shaken by Thursday’s events but refused to be cowed.

About 200 people, mostly youngsters with flowers in their hands, gathered in front of the Starbucks in a show of sympathy for the victims and solidarity against extremist violence.

“Whatever they did, they have killed life”, said Muji Sutrisno, a noted Indonesian intellectual.