IS suspect arrested with homemade firearms in West Java

The suspect allegedly actively spread IS propaganda on social media.

The suspect allegedly actively conducted propaganda on social media and was arrested by antiterror force Densus 88. Pictured are Densus 88 troops during a demonstration. (File photo: Facebook/Densus 88)

WEST JAVA: Indonesia’s counterterrorism force reportedly arrested an employee of a state-owned company for suspected involvement with the IS terror group in West Java province on Monday (Aug 14).
 
Densus 88 arrested the 28-year-old man identified only using his initials, DE, in Bekasi city, said the force’s spokesman Aswin Siregar, according to reports.

"It is true that law enforcement has been active against one person who was targetted for a terrorist crime on social media in the Jakarta Special Capital City Region area," he was quoted as saying.

"Initials DE, male, a BUMN employee," he said, using an abbreviation for "Badan Usaha Milik Negara" or state-owned enterprises.

Aswin said DE was an ISIS sympathiser who allegedly actively spread propaganda on social media and provided motivation to unite under the cause of violent jihad through Facebook.

"DE sent a Facebook post in the form of a digital poster containing the text of a renewal of allegiance in Arabic and Indonesian to the leader of the Islamic State, namely Abu Al Husain Al Husaini Al Quraysi," Aswin explained.

Abu Al Husain was the fourth chief of ISIS to have been killed since the founding of the Middle East terror group.

Aswin said DE was found to have stored a number of homemade firearms and was involved in raising funds to carry out acts of terror.

DE is also allegedly the admin and creator of the Telegram groups named Arsip Film Dokumenter and Breaking News which contain accounts of global terror activities translated into Indonesian.

"The follow-up was to carry out security, interrogation and search of the suspect," Aswin said.

A visit to the Telegram channels found Arsip Film Dokumenter has 51 subscribers while Breaking News has 90.

Breaking News also has photos of suspected bay’at or pledge of allegiance by allegedly Filipino members of the so-called IS Southeast Asia branch to the little-known current IS emir, Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Quraishi, who succeeded Abu Al Husain.

Aswin told me Densus 88 will provide more details on the latest IS arrest for the media today, Tuesday (Aug 15).