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Missing Batam family has joined IS movement: BNPT
The National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) has confirmed that a civil servant in Batam, who was reported missing along with his family members earlier this year, has left the country and has allegedly joined the radical Islamic State (IS) movement
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he National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) has confirmed that a civil servant in Batam, who was reported missing along with his family members earlier this year, has left the country and has allegedly joined the radical Islamic State (IS) movement.
The Batam Free Trade Zone Authority's (BPK FTZ) Integrated One-Stop Service Center (PTSP) director Dwi Djoko Wiwoho disappeared along with his wife and three daughters after leaving the Riau Islands' largest city for Mecca to perform umrah (the minor haj) in late August.
Friends and neighbors reported that Dwi had apparently sold his house and car prior to leaving for Mecca.
BPK FTZ is a unit of the central government and not under the Batam city administration.
BNPT Prevention Affairs deputy Brig. Gen. Hamidin said on Friday that the agency had been investigating the case for the past few months and had found strong indications regarding Dwi's allegiance to IS.
'Some Batam residents have reported and asked questions about the case. I say that we are 85 percent [sure] that Dwi Djoko is involved with IS,' Hamidin said in the Riau Islands provincial capital of Tanjung Pinang, as quoted by Antara news agency.
He also confirmed that Dwi and his family members were no longer in Indonesia and had allegedly reached Iraq.
'This proves that IS has infiltrated many social groups,' he said.
Dwi worked for almost 20 years at the BPK FTZ. He started his carreer as a staff member of the institution's public relations division. He was eventually promoted to director of that division and the PTSP. He was recently reassigned to handle the PTSP exclusively.
Dwi attended work for a week after the Idul Fitri holidays in July. He then submitted a request to take long-term leave until Sept. 2 to perform umrah with his family.
Speaking to The Jakarta Post on Saturday, BPK FTZ head Mustofa Widjaja said he felt shock upon hearing the results of the investigation.
'I still cannot believe it. In our previous conversations, he had never tried to spread certain [radical] thoughts to his supervisors or subordinates,' he said.
BPK FTZ public relations and promotions director Purnomo Andiantono, meanwhile, said Dwi had not appeared to be a devout Muslim.
'He sometimes did not perform the five compulsory daily prayers,' he said. 'This news is very suprising and unbelievable.'
Purnomo also said that his office's employment division had sent Dwi two summons letters regarding his long absence.
'We have also visited his parents' house in Jakarta, but they said they did not know where he is,' he said.
The issue of radicalization and the metastasizing influence of militant groups has increasingly attracted attention and consternation in Indonesia, especially in light of the more than 500 Indonesians reported to have joined the IS movement in Iraq and Syria.
On Thursday, BNPT head Comr. Gen. Saud Usman Nasution said that his agency had identified one policeman and seven civil servants who had fled to Syria to join IS. Saud, however, declined to reveal whether Dwi was one of them.
Last week, the police managed to foil an attempt by eight residents of South Sulawesi to leave Indonesia for Syria to allegedly join the IS movement.
