Two killed, four held in Indonesian anti-terror squad raid: police
Published Apr 13, 2023 11:49 am
JAKARTA, Indonesia - Two men believed to be linked to an Al-Qaeda-affiliated network have been killed and four arrested in raids by the Indonesian police's anti-terror squad, authorities said on Thursday.
The four suspects, alleged to be part of the same Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) network, were arrested in an operation launched at two locations on Indonesia’s Sumatra island on Tuesday and Wednesday, Aswin Siregar, a spokesperson for the Densus 88 squad, said on Thursday.
The victims, identified by their initials NG and ZK, were killed after shooting back at the police, wounding one officer who is in stable condition, Siregar said.
"Firm actions needed to be taken because (the suspects) had threatened the officers' lives as they resisted arrest," Siregar said.
He said the police had acted preventively because the group had planned to attack its members.
NG had been on Indonesia's wanted list since 2016 for allegedly hiding suspects that included Zulkarnaen, a senior JI leader who was detained in 2020 after nearly 18 years at large, Siregar said.
Jemaah Islamiyah was behind the 2002 Bali bombings that ripped through a nightclub and bar on the Indonesian resort island, killing 202 people including 88 Australians.
The attacks were the deadliest in Indonesian history and led to a crackdown on militancy in the Muslim-majority country.