T

he National Police'€™s Densus 88 counterterrorism squad has arrested Akbar, a loyalist of fugitive terrorist Santoso, for allegedly planning to attack and burn down police facilities in Jakarta in the lead-up to the July 9 presidential election.

National Police chief Gen. Sutarman said on Wednesday that Akbar, alias Mury, was apprehended on Jl. Dalang in Cipayung, East Jakarta.

From the suspect, the Densus 88 squad confiscated plastic pipes that are typically used to assemble bombs, as well as air guns, laptops and jihad-themed books.

A preliminary investigation found that in planning the suspected attacks, Akbar worked with a man residing in South Jakarta, identified as Arif Budi Setyawan, alias Arif Tuban, who was taken into police custody on June 19.

'€œThey were planning to torch police posts and stations in East Jakarta and areas in the vicinity. The plot may not be related to the election. But they attempted to [gain] momentum, while police officers are concentrating on securing the election, to attack us,'€ Sutarman said on Wednesday.

Sutarman said that ahead of the July 9 election, the national police had stepped up their vigilance.

'€œWe are closely tracking the movements of all terrorist cells in Indonesia,'€ he reiterated.

Santoso, alias Abu Wardah, the leader of the East Indonesia Mujahideen, was responsible for a number of terror attacks in conflict-prone Poso, Central Sulawesi.

Like other terrorist cells in Indonesia, in the past few years, the Santoso group has shifted its targets from foreign interests to police officers, who they refer to as thaghut (tyrannical) and the '€œmost immediate enemy'€.

Previously, the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) has warned that some terrorist cells could attempt to launch attacks in the lead-up to this year'€™s elections, which the terrorists reportedly deem to be ungodly.

BNPT head Ansyaad Mbai suggested that splinters from Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), Jamaah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT) and the Islamic State of Indonesia (NII) probably had the capacity to attack.

Santoso himself is a former member of a terror group led by JI member Basri.

Sutarman on Wednesday reiterated the force'€™s full commitment to protecting the election, including making efforts to anticipate clashes between supporters of the opposing presidential candidates.

On Tuesday, supporters of Gerindra Party presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto clashed with followers of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle'€™s (PDI-P) Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo'€ on Jl. Ngabean, Yogyakarta, as the groups were on their way home from separate campaign events.

To prevent such incidents from recurring, Sutarman said that he would coordinate with the General Elections Commission (KPU) to adjust the presidential campaign schedule so that supporters of contesting candidates would not cross paths.

'€œWhen supporters of both camps meet, there will certainly be tension between them,'€ he said.