Nearly 300 Suspected Terrorists Arrested Since Surabaya Attacks: Police
Jakarta. Nearly 300 suspects have been arrested since the series of terrorist attacks in East Java during May, National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian said on Tuesday (07/08).
"We have been arresting suspected terrorists. According to the most recent report from last night, 283 suspected terrorists have been arrested since the Surabaya bombings," Tito said, as quoted by BeritaSatu.com.
Security forces have been focusing on the threat of terrorism, especially with the Asian Games set to begin on Aug. 18.
The military and police will deploy 40,000 officers to safeguard the event, which will involve around 15,000 athletes and officials from 45 countries.
In the wake of the attacks in East Java, lawmakers sped up deliberations on a revision of the 2003 Antiterrorism Law, which was finally approved by the House of Representatives on May 25.
Tito said the new law allows police to tackle the issue of terrorism more effectively.
In addition, the South Jakarta District Court recently banned Jamaah Ansharut Daulah over its involvement in high-profile terrorist attacks in Indonesia, including the attacks in Surabaya.
The court also outlawed other Islamic State-affiliated organizations in Indonesia.
"This means that anyone who is affiliated or a member [of such organizations] can be convicted. The old law did not allow us to do this, as it required evidence, including weapons, planning and actions, so often times we were too late," Tito explained.
He said each district police unit has created its own antiterrorism task force, which will work alongside a task force comprised of members of the National Police's elite counterterrorism unit, Densus 88, which will be deployed in Indonesia's 34 provinces.
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