Safrin La Batu, Surabaya – The National Police's Densus 88 counterterrorism squad arrested another four suspected terrorists in different cities in East Java during Monday night operations in the wake of a series of suicide bombings in the province, the East Java Police said Tuesday.

Two suspected terrorists were arrested in Malang regency, one in Pandaan and one in Surabaya, East Java Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Frans Barung Mangera said in a press conference.

Police have not released the names of the newly arrested suspected terrorists but said they were connected to the perpetrators in the Surabaya attacks, including the family of Dita Oeprianto, who blew themselves up at three churches in the provincial capital on Sunday.

The police announced on Monday they arrested nine terrorists in different places following the Surabaya attacks.

"That means we have arrested a total of 13 people so far and [the number is likely] to increase. They are not including those who were shot dead," Frans said.

East Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Machfud Arifin said in the morning that among individuals being hunted down included radical preachers in the religious gatherings frequented by the suicide bombing families.

"We cannot update you further on this as it is the authority of those [Densus 88] on the ground," Machfud said.

At least five explosions occurred in Surabaya and Sidoarjo on Sunday and Monday, killing a total of 28 people, including 13 suicide bombers, who were members of three families.

National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian previously said the perpetrators of the attacks were connected to Jamaah Ansharud Daulah (JAD), a local terrorist group affiliated with the Islamic State group. (ahw)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018/05/15/police-nab-more-suspected-terrorists-in-east-java.html