Farouk Arnaz – The country is dealing with a new breed of terrorists, different not only in terms of tactics and targets but in terms of religious fervor, counterterrorism police say.

Indonesian terrorists had often been characterized by a radical interpretation and fierce observance of conservative Islam but a police source said the group of suspects believed to be behind the Cirebon bombing did not fit this mold.

"Three of the 13 suspects we have been detained even have tattoos on their bodies, which is prohibited in Islam," the source told the Jakarta Globe on Sunday.

All three, namely Mushola, Andri Siswanto alias Hasyim, and Edy Triwiyanto, were former preman, or thugs, recruited by Sigit Qurdowi, the suspected mastermind behind the group, the source added. He was killed in Sukoharjo, Central Java, last week.

"They were former preman, even though they don't have any criminal record. We tested them by asking them to recite the Koran. They passed the test but they didn't know what it meant," the source said, drawing a comparison with the first generation of Indonesian jihadists, such as Imam Samudra and Ali Ghufron alias Mukhlas.

The two, who were executed for their involvement in the 2002 Bali Bombing, were graduates from the mujahideen military camps in Afghanistan, had a good understanding of the Koran and even spoke Arabic.

"It seems the motive of this group was not to wage jihad based on what they believe in but terror because of disappointment with the current economic and political situation," the source said.

Police have alleged that this group was behind the suicide bombing of a police mosque in Cirebon in April, as well as the six pipe bombs found in a river, are connected to Jemaah Ansharut Tauhid, a radical Islamic group founded by cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, who is now on trial in connection to the Aceh militant camp discovered last year.

Brig. Gen. Muhammad Syafii, who heads the National Police's elite counterterrorism unit, Densus 88, confirmed that some of the Cirebon suspects likely were ex-hoodlums.

"If we fail to stop this, the situation can evolve into what happened in Poso, Central Sulawesi, where former preman were recruited to wage jihad," Syafii said. "It should be stopped but it's not only up to the police to stop it."