Terrorists Fight to Stay Visible, Experts Say
Members of the anti-terror squad Densus 88 prepare for a raid in Bandung in May. (EPA Photo)
As the recent string of deadly attacks against police officers indicates, the fight against terrorism is not over in Indonesia. Terror networks remain strong and police are now their No. 1 enemy, analysts say.
Thomas Sunaryo, a senior criminologist from the University of Indonesia (UI) called the spate of attacks in the past month an act of terrorism.
"This is definitely terrorism and the message is simple. The perpetrators were sending a message to the police that they still exist and that they are still dangerous," Thomas said over the weekend, as reported by Republika.
Two men on a motorcycle shot dead a pair of police officers on Aug. 16 in Bintaro, Tangerang.
The attack was similar to two previous assaults on policemen, also in Tangerang, on July 27 and Aug. 7. The attackers targeted patrolling policemen and shot them at close range from motorcycles.
Thomas added that terrorists have made the police their No. 1 foe and he therefore called on officers stay alert and be prepared to ward off possible attacks.
"The perpetrators could just be anyone. But this is not a common crime," said Thomas. "[Ordinary] thieves are afraid of the police. In the shooting cases, the motive was clear: they just wanted to kill officers, and that's a form of terrorism."
Masdarsada, another UI expert, said that the rise of terrorist incidents since 2002 formed a real threat for the public and joint efforts from the public were needed to fight back.
He said that resorting to violence has become a culture for certain groups — a way to express their opposition to the current state of affairs as well as a means to achieve their wider goals.
Masdarsada said that terrorist groups were still getting stronger in the country. "We start to wonder when the battle against terrorist groups — those who act as terrorists, active supporters, sympathizers and infrastructure of supporters — will come to an end," he said, as quoted by Inilah.com.
The terrorist acts committed in the past month present a far larger threat than that posed by the remaining members of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) from 1965 until 1989, he added.
While efforts are being made, there are some problems with the current approach. The National Police's elite anti-terrorism unit, Densus 88, and the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) have been criticized for their heavy-handed measures against suspected terrorists, fueling resentment among Islamic groups and leading to calls by politicians for their disbandment.
Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) chairman Rizieq Shihab was one of those calling for the disbandment of Densus 88 and the BNPT. "Densus often arrested the wrong people," said Rizieq in a press conference on Sunday. "They have mistakenly shot and killed [people]."
Rizieq described members of Densus 88 as "bad cowboys" and said that his demand for the disbandment of the two agencies was justified.
"Densus 88 and BNPT should be brought before the international human rights tribunal. They have committed gross human rights violations," he added.
BNPT's chief has denied that his agency is being overzealous in responding to security threats, saying the agency only acts on evidence.
"We have facts, so we don't blindly capture [suspects]," BNPT chief Ansyaad Mbai told lawmakers in June.
He added that many groups were spreading hateful messages and undermining national unity — a threat that needed to be taken seriously.
These groups are spreading anti-government propaganda "and they are not doing this in secret," Ansyaad said, adding that many organizations were carrying out destructive activities under the pretext of religious teachings. As such, he called on the government to back the BNPT's efforts to eradicate terrorism. "We should be firm and certain in taking a stance," he said.
In the past week Densus 88 has arrested nine terrorism suspects in various locations, such as Cipayung, East Jakarta, Bekasi in West Java and Lamongan in East Java. Police confiscated firearms, explosives and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
The latest Densus 88 arrest was made on Sunday morning, when officers arrested Agus Martin, also known as Hasan, in Lamongan.
Densus 88 apprehended Hasan after arresting arms maker Ramli last Tuesday. Ramli is known under various aliases: Iqbal Hussaini, Adrian Alamsyah, Rian and Rambo.
Hasan was arrested next to the Al-Mukmin Islamic boarding school, the alma mater of the three brothers who were involved in the 2002 Bali Bombings, Ali Ghufron, Amrozi and Ali Imron.
Both Ghufron and Amrozi have been executed while Imron is serving a life sentence.
"We suspected that Hasan bought four 9-millimeter guns from Ramli, who was arrested in Cipayung, East Jakarta," a source within Densus 88 told the Jakarta Globe on Sunday.
The source, who wished to remain anonymous, said that Hasan is believed to be part of a terrorist group in Lamongan that is connected with terrorist organizations in Bekasi, South Kalimantan and Poso, Central Sulawesi.
Ramli was jailed in the past for plotting to murder Ulil Abshar Abdalla, a Liberal Islamic Network (JIL) activist, along with a Christian pastor. He had been making a living selling illegal airsoft guns.
Densus 88 confiscated two firearms and 106 rounds of ammunition from Ramli, who allegedly supplied the weapons to the terror suspects Khoirul and Iswahyudin, who were arrested in Bekasi last Tuesday.
Last week, Ramli told the Globe that the shooting deaths of two police officers in Bintaro would have a major impact on his airsoft gun business, due to increasing police scrutiny.
"This will cause the [airsoft guns] to become expensive," he said, referring to the replica firearm that uses plastic pellets.
On Monday, Ramli also sent out a press release stating that many criminals have been using the more dangerous air guns — and not airsoft guns — in committing their crimes.
Meanwhile, Ali Fauzi, a former member of the militant network Jemaah Islamiyah, but who now manages the Al-Mukmin boarding school, said that Hasan's arrest came as a shock to him.
Just last week, according to Ali, Hasan met with Sarlito Wirawan Sarwono, an expert from the BNPT, in Lamongan.
"I'm astonished to learn that Hasan was still involved in [terrorist activities] … I have been guiding him for the past two years in Lamongan," he told the Globe. "He is a good man."
Ali, a self-proclaimed reformed extremist, said that he would have handed over both men to the police if he had known that the duo was still involved in terrorism.
"My suspicion is that this was an effort from [active] terrorists to recruit the people that I'm guiding. Their hope is that the police would turn against me and that I would hate the police," he said.
Ali, who was involved in waging jihad in Mindanao in the southern Philippines, Ambon in Maluku, and Poso, has often made public statements denouncing terrorism, including on television.
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