By: Andika Gunansyah )*
The TNI, Polri, BIN, and other agencies continue to work hard to prevent terror ahead of Christmas and New Year. This step is expected to provide comfort to the people who will worship.
The Special Detachment or Detachment 88 Anti-terror Police have arrested as many as 315 suspected terrorists during the period January to September 2021. 300 men and 15 women. Of these, the largest number came from the Jamaah Islamiyah group.
In November 2021, Densus 88 also succeeded in arresting five terrorist suspects in East Java, the five suspects with the initials BA, AS, AN, RH and MA. The five members are known to be from the Islamiyah Network group.
Meanwhile, Densus 88 has also officially detained Farid Okbah, Ahmad Zain An-Najah, and Anung Al Hamat who are suspects for alleged terrorism. All three are suspected of being involved in the charity foundation belonging to the terrorist Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), namely the Baitul Maal Abdurahman Bin Auf Zakat Charity Institute (LAZ BM ABA).
The Head of the Banops Detachment 88, Kombes Aswin Siregar, said that Farid Okbah and colleagues would be detained for at least the next 120 days. The three are being held at the Detachment 88 detention center.
Previously, Farid Okbah, Ahmad Zain An Najah and Anung Al Hamat were arrested by Densus 88 on suspicion of criminal acts of terrorism. The police revealed that their arrest was based on the confessions of 28 suspected JI terrorists who had already been arrested. Rusdi explained that the 28 terrorist suspects gave information that Ahmad Zain and Farid Okbah were involved in financing the JI terrorist group. As a result, Densus 88 believed that the three were involved in JI’s terror activities.
Jamaah Islamiyah itself has long been accused of being the organization behind a series of bomb attacks in Indonesia. The deadliest attack was the near-simultaneous explosion of bombs in two nightclubs in Bali on 12 October 2002, 202 people were killed and 88 of them were Australians.
JI or cells affiliated with this group are also accused of involvement in a number of attacks targeting Christians in Eastern Indonesia, a suicide bombing in front of the Australian embassy building in September 2004 and a similar attack on the JW Marriot hotel in Jakarta in August 2003.
The network is said to have been formed in Malaysia in the late 1980s by a group of exiled Indonesian extremists. This network of groups developed into cells spread across the islands of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. The smaller cells are likely in other regions of Southeast Asia.
The group’s goal is to establish an Islamic state in Indonesia and other parts of Southeast Asia. This becomes a basis that during Christmas celebrations, church security must be tightened because of the many track records of terror bombs in churches.
David Wright Neville from Monash University Australia said that JI militancy was formed because of the connectivity between JI figures and Al-Qaeda personnel who were in Afghanistan at that time.
Under the influence of Al-Qaeda, JI began to believe that its goals could only be achieved through “holy war”. This is what makes JI militant members learn to make bombs to carry out their terrorist acts. Some of them even believe that blowing themselves up with bombs to kill non-believers is a form of martyrdom.
Meanwhile, the National Agency for Combating Theorists (BNPT) said that Farid Okbah had gone to Afghanistan to become a mentor for Jamaah Islamiyah combatants. BNPT said that Farid was in charge of spreading JI’s vision and mission.
BNPT Director of Prevention Brigadier General Ahmad Nurwahid said Farid Okbah’s action to Afghanistan was an intelligence operation. Because he is an intellectual actor. He also said that Farid Okbah was also the JI coordinator for Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. You could say Farid is a JI affiliate for Al Qaeda in Afghanistan.
The threat of terror in Indonesia must remain vigilant, they have the ability to hide in loneliness or in crowds. The government has also worked optimally to prevent acts of terror from happening in the future, including preventing acts of terror ahead of Christmas and New Year.
)* The author is a contributor to Pertiwi Institute
