IDNEWSNOW.COM, Jakarta – The National Police’s anti-terror squad Densus 88 head Insp. Gen. Martinus Hukom said the Covid-19 pandemic did not dim the existence of terrorist groups.
According to Martinus, they even exploited the situation to carry out the acts of extremism. “[Their actions] do not dim at all. They use pandemic issues as a trigger to motivate their groups,” he said in an online discussion on Tuesday, August 30.
Martinus said terror groups raised issues that the pandemic was man-made and so a sign towards the end of time so followers were asked to be prepared for it.
“We found them making bombs, we arrested them in Brebes and Kendal, Ambon,” he added.
The Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) terror group, Martinus further cited examples, exploited the government’s weakness in containing Covid-19, and so they prepared troops and purchased weapons.
They also brought up issues that China was behind the virus that caused Covid-19 so they targeted Chinese businessmen. “But after a massive and continuous operation, we were able to prevent their acts and arrest them. We have arrested 309 people as of this month,” said Martinus.
In mid-August 2021, Densus 88 apprehended 53 suspected terrorists in several regions of Indonesia. 50 of them were JI members, while the remaining three were members of the Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) terror group.
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ANDITA RAHMA
