Indonesia: Islamic State propaganda targeting children discovered

Event

On Monday, June 26, Indonesian police found propaganda books targeting children in the house of an alleged Islamic State (IS) suspect. The raid followed an attack on Sunday, June 25, on a police station in Medan (North Sumatra province) which left one suspected militant dead. Police believe the attackers were part of Jemaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), an umbrella organization that supports IS and is on the US State Department "terrorist" list.

Context

Indonesia is on high security alert due to heightened risk of terror attacks.

IS sympathizers have carried out a series of mostly low-level attacks over the past few years, and there are fears of the potential return of hundreds of Indonesians who have gone to Syria to fight with IS.

Saudi Arabian Salafi-wahhabism has slowly been expanding Indonesia since the 1980s through foreign-funded mosques, a free university in South Jakarta that houses the Institute for the Study of Islam and Arabic (LIPIA), boarding schools, teachers, and thousands of scholarships to study in Saudi Arabia.

Advice

Due to the heightened threat of terrorism in the Indonesia, remain vigilant when visiting sites that could potentially be targeted (public transportation, train stations, ports, airports, public or government buildings, embassies or consulates, international organizations, schools and universities, religious sites, markets, hotels and restaurants frequented by foreigners/Westerners, festivals, etc.).