Indonesian Arrests Underline of Islamic State

A series of arrests of Indonesians, both in Indonesia and abroad, during the last month have thrown fresh light on the Islamic State's influence over the country's small community of radicals. On March 21, Indonesian security forces arrested six individuals in the Kebayoran Baru, Bekasi and South Tangerang areas of the capital Jakarta, on suspicion of involvement in recruiting individuals to the Islamic State (Jakarta Globe, March 22). A few days later, on March 25, three Islamic State veterans were arrested in Malang in East Java. The authorities said that they had associated in Syria with Abu Jandal al-Indonesia, an prominent Indonesian Islamic State member who recently issued threats against the country's military in a Bahasa-language YouTube video (Jakarta Post, March 27). Although investigations are ongoing, at least one of the arrested men had reportedly claimed that he left the Islamic State after it didn't deliver on various promises given to him by recruiters. While related details are sparse, this may reflect the Islamic State's habit of using non-Arab recruits for menial tasks or as suicide attackers. Meanwhile, in a further indication of the range of international jihadist links recently emerging in Indonesia, the government's Financial Transactions Report and Analysis Center has also recently raised concerns over money flowing from radical Islamists in Australia into Indonesia, which has in turn prompted closer cooperation between the respective governments (Jakarta Globe, March 25). On March 18, the Indonesian police said they suspected a small non-fatal bombing that occurred in a Jakarta shopping mall in February, was potentially carried out by Islamic State supporters, partly because the bomb was chlorine-based, a hallmark of Islamic State operations (Tempo, March 20). If true, this indicates that Islamic State veterans may already be seeking to carry out attacks in Indonesia.

Meanwhile, in further evidence of the Islamic State's ability to attract Indonesian radicals, the Turkish foreign ministry said on March 11 that 16 Indonesians had been arrested in January while seeking to cross into Syria (al-Jazeera, March 14). They were detained in the town of Gaziantep, an important transit point located to the north of the Syrian city of Aleppo. A foreign ministry spokesman said the group, which included four women, one man and 11 children, were taking a route "usually used by jihadists" (ARA News, March 12). Responding to the arrests, Indonesian Security Minister Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno said: "We are still investigating... but it is clear that they wanted to join [the Islamic State] to have a better life in accordance with Islamic Shari'a laws" (Hurriyet Daily News, March 13). The group reportedly sold all their Indonesian assets prior to departing for Turkey, suggesting they aimed to permanently relocate to Islamic State-held territories (AsiaOne, March 18). In addition, 16 other Indonesians also went missing in Turkey in early March, after disappearing from their tour group shortly after arriving in Istanbul, likely with the intention of making their way to Syria, according to Indonesia's foreign minister (Jakarta Globe, March 13; Jakarta Post, March 11). Around 500 Indonesians are believed to have so far joined the Islamic State, although how many of these have been killed or have returned home is not known (Jakarta Globe, March 26).

These developments underline that while Indonesia has made much progress in the last decade in tackling militancy, the Islamic State has the potential to attract small numbers of radicals to travel to Syria, some of whom may seek to conduct attacks upon their return. Although Indonesian security forces are well aware of this potential threat (as demonstrated by the recent arrests), the country's response is partly constrained by its relatively liberal legal framework. In particular, Indonesia has no law that prohibits individuals from fighting in foreign conflicts, or that can prevent suspected radicals from travelling; although officials have publicly mooted some steps to monitor individuals acting suspiciously, for instance pilgrims buying one-way tickets to the Middle East or who have sold all their possessions before travelling (Jakarta Post, March 27). Although the number of Indonesians physically fighting with the Islamic State is almost statistically insignificant-a few hundred from a population of more than 250 million-the recent arrests and the apparent attempted bombing indicate that their presence may nonetheless have longer-term implications for Indonesia.

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