Indonesia: Terrorist arms cache discovered in Bandung June 6

Event

A counter-terrorism raid in West Java on Tuesday, June 6, uncovered an arms cache in Bandung that included material that was reportedly going to be used to assemble a bomb at a terrorism suspect’s home. The suspected militant was arrested in the Jatinangor area of Bandung on Monday, June 5. This operation in Cileunyi is the latest in connection with May 24 Islamic State (IS) suicide bomb attack in East Jakarta. Military operations in the past few weeks led to the arrest of five militants in East Jakarta and three others in Bandung.

Context

Police officials announced in late May that the two suicide bombers who carried out the attack in East Jakarta on May 24 had ties to the Islamic State (IS) through the group Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD).

According to various Western intelligence security assessments, there is a high threat from terrorism in Indonesia. The National Police and the Counter terrorism unit have arrested dozens of individuals on terror charges across the country in the past year. Terrorist groups continue to plan attacks and have the capacity and intent to carry out these attacks at anytime and anywhere in the country.

Advice

Individuals in Jakarta are advised to avoid the area around the explosion site, monitor the situation, remain vigilant, and report any suspicious objects or behavior to the authorities.