“We received early intelligence information that shows these immigrants might be followed by those who share a relationship with some terrorist organizations,” Ito said.

“As of now, I have to acknowledge we are still in the dark about the backgrounds of these immigrants, especially those from Afghanistan and Sri Lanka,” he said.

“We will immediately follow up the intelligence report by working with our counterparts from other agencies [such as the immigration office] to avoid potential terrorist attacks,” he said.

However, Ito refused to provide a detailed explanation when asked about the police’s strategy to detect terrorism behind the illegal immigration issue.

Currently, there are several groups of foreign refugees from war-torn countries such as Afghanistan and Sri Lanka who are in the country. These refugees have usually chosen to leave their home countries saying they believed they would not be able to lead normal lives there.  

In many cases, these immigrants have been arrested by local authorities in Indonesian waters on their way to neighboring countries like Australia and, further afield, New Zealand. On occasion, while in transit in Indonesia, these refugees have been able to form friendships with Indonesians.

Ito cited Saudi Arabian immigrants who make new friends very easily as they shared a common religious belief with the majority of Indonesians.

“Any terrorist activity could originate from informal activities based on the same religion. Therefore, learning from past experience, we should be very sensitive to this matter,” he said.

When asked for comment, a former field officer who used to be involved with the counterterrorism task force, said he was not familiar with the conclusions drawn by Ito.

“In my extensive experience in handling terrorism-related cases, I have found no such indications linking illegal immigration and terrorism. Would-be terrorists usually find their way in through activities like Koran recital classes or using other religious activities as cover,” the officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.

“No terrorists has ever entered their target countries through illegal immigration,” he continued.

However, he acknowledged that terrorists might have changed their methods in infiltrating their target countries.

“We have to wait and see what develops,” he said.

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