Jakarta – Terrorism experts have demanded stronger efforts to curb radicalism and the development of terrorist groups following the suicide bombing that severely injured a police officer in Surakarta on the eve of Idul Fitri.
An expert on Indonesian radical movements, Solahudin, encouraged the government to strengthen Counterterrorism Law No. 15/2003 in regard to the police's authority to arrest people suspected of spreading radical ideology.
However, he dismissed concerns that the number of Indonesians supporting the Islamic State (IS) terror group had grown significantly, saying that only 480 people were recorded to have departed to Syria to join the radical group and that around 40 percent of them were women and children.
Similarly, Al Chaidar, another terrorism expert, said the government should not worry too much about the number of IS supporters in Indonesia but instead focus on tracking down people with an insidious agenda.
"According to my sources, there are several other cities that they have been targeting. Cities like Surabaya, Balikpapan and Lampung are likely on their list," he told The Jakarta Post on Thursday, without elaborating.
A suicide bomber, suspected to be Nur Rohman, blew himself up near the gate of the Surakarta Police headquarters in Tuesday morning. According to the preliminary police investigation, the attacker was part of a terrorist cell led by Bahrun Naim, who is suspected to have planned the Thamrin police post bombing in Jakarta earlier this year. (win/dic)