Anti-terror arrests in Indonesia highlight challenge of combating ‘virtual’ groups
Por Resty Woro Yuniar — South China Morning Post – News feed
Advertisement Indonesia This Week in Asia Politics Anti-terror arrests in Indonesia highlight challenge of combating ‘virtual’ groups
Suspects have organised online meetings for indoctrination and training, the Indonesian counterterrorism force says
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Resty Woro Yuniar in Jakarta Published: 6:30pm, 7 Oct 2026 The recent arrests of 11 suspected terrorists by authorities in Indonesia underline how terrorism remains a persistent security challenge, with analysts warning that militant networks are communicating online through smaller and decentralised cells despite stronger enforcement.
The Indonesian National Police’s counterterrorism force, Special Detachment 88 (Densus 88), said on Sunday that 11 suspected terrorists had been arrested in raids across West Java, Central Java, Central Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, Riau and North Maluku provinces since its operations began on Friday.
“The suspects are believed to be affiliated with Daulah Islamiyah and other terrorist networks,” Densus 88 spokesman Mayndra Eka Wardhana said in a statement.
Wardhana said that the suspects communicated with each other through “virtual rooms”.
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