Indonesia toughens security measures ahead of Christmas

Moustafa Mohamed

The Islamic State, aka Daesh, announced its presence in Indonesia, which was the first country in Southeast Asia where the terrorist organization said it has affiliated terrorist arms there.

For the second year in a row, the Indonesian authorities toughened security measures ahead of Christmas on the back of terrorist attacks that hit the country.  In 2017, Indonesia said ISIS’ sleeper cells existed across the country.

Many terrorist groups there pledged allegiance to ISIS.

The country’s new chief security minister Mahfud said high security was also meant to ensure Christian communities could celebrate Christmas without being targeted by groups keen to disrupt the festivities.

Authorities routinely arrest suspected ISIS-linked militants ahead of alleged planned attacks.

In October, Indonesia’s chief security minister was stabbed by an Islamic State terrorist.

“We need to anticipate as early as possible things like intolerant incidents and burning down houses of worship,” Mahfud told reporters.

The Indonesian authorities will deploy nearly 200,000 security personnel nationwide ahead of Christmas to guard against potential terror attacks.

The deployment, which comes after a recent spate of attacks, is more than the 167,000 personnel deployed last year.

“As many as 10,000 personnel will be deployed in Jakarta” alone, said National Police spokesperson Argo Yuwono.

“Based on intelligence data, there are potential risks … so we’re taking preventive measures but we are also ready to take proactive action,” he added.

Hundreds of suspects were rounded up after the attacks, which came more than a year after a family killed a dozen congregants in suicide bombings at churches in Indonesia’s second-biggest city, Surabaya.

Indonesia launched last month a website that allows the public to report civil servants who post online content deemed as radical and a threat to the country’s unity.