Indonesian Police Still Hunting For Terror Cells

Jakarta (Antara Bali)- The Indonesian Police continue to hunt for terror cells apart from the Eastern Indonesia Mujahidin group whose leader Santoso alias Abu Wardah was shot dead in the Tinombala Operation in Poso, Central Sulawesi.

"There is the Arif Hidayat group in Bekasi and then Nur Rohman's (group). Some others are being investigated, and we continue to monitor them," Police spokesman Inspector General Boy Rafli Amar stated at the Police Headquarters, here, Thursday.

Hidayat is a terror suspect, who was arrested at his home in the Taman Harapan Baru housing complex, Bekasi, West Java, on December 23, 2015.

Hidayat was allegedly responsible for coordinating and facilitating Indonesians keen on joining ISIS in Syria.

Rohman was a suicide bomber who blew himself up in front of a Surakarta police office on July 5, 2016.

Rohman was a fugitive of a terror incident that occurred in Bekasi in December 2015. The police arrested seven people, but Rohman escaped and later orchestrated a suicide bombing in the Surakarta police office.

In the meantime, Military (TNI) Commander General Gatot Nurmantyo and National Police Chief General Tito Karnavian personally checked the bodies of wanted terror suspect Santoso and one of his men Mochtar at a police hospital in Palu, Central Sulawesi, on Wednesday.

They were accompanied by Army Chief of Staff General Moeljono and Chief of the National Counter-Terrorism Agency Commissioner General Suhardi Alius.

General Tito reiterated that the body he has just seen was of Santoso, as confirmed by the results of various checks ranging from fingerprint analysis to the identification of other physical marks as well as the testimonies recorded from his family members, adding that the result of the DNA test was being awaited.

He thanked the TNI commander, the army chief of staff, and their ranks as well as the TNI and police personnel for their joint cooperation during the Tinombala Operation that had led to the death of Santoso.

On the other hand, General Gatot remarked that the operation would still be continued with the same intensity despite Santoso's death.

"The operation would even be stepped up, but no new personnel would be added, as the existing team is considered adequate. However, operations would be intensified both at the military and territorial fronts," he affirmed.

Both the TNI general and police chief appealed to Santoso's men, who are still hiding in the hill forests in Poso District, to surrender and return to the community fold after undergoing the judicial process.

After meeting with newsmen, they issued directives to some one thousand personnel of the TNI and Police at the Central Sulawesi regional police command. (WDY)