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IS returnees '€˜no cause for alarm'€™

The National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) assured those concerned on Thursday that 149 Indonesians returning from war-torn Syria, home to the radical Islamic State (IS) movement, would undergo a thorough screening before being allowed to join the community

Fedina S. Sundaryani (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Fri, November 27, 2015

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IS returnees '€˜no cause for alarm'€™

T

he National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) assured those concerned on Thursday that 149 Indonesians returning from war-torn Syria, home to the radical Islamic State (IS) movement, would undergo a thorough screening before being allowed to join the community.

BNPT chief Comr. Gen. Saud Usman Nasution told The Jakarta Post that many of the 149 had been deported or arrested at state boundaries, though some had returned to Indonesia on their own accord.

'€œWe have had 149 Indonesians returning from Syria this year. These include those who have been deported and also those who have been arrested trying to cross state borders,'€ he said.

Although Saud declined to give details on whether the returnees had joined IS during their time in Syria, he said that all of them had undergone an extensive screening process. After this process, the BNPT would decide whether they should be detained.

'€œThey have gone through an extensive background check conducted by experts. We asked them what their motives were going to Syria and why they decided to return, among other questions. It is only then that we can decide,'€ he said.

Concerns over possible terror attacks in the country have been raised following the deadly attacks in Paris earlier this month. National Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief Sutiyoso claimed on Tuesday that at least 100 Indonesians had returned from Syria after joining IS.

Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan said recently that at least 800 Indonesians had joined IS and that 284 of these had been identified and 52 had died.

The BNPT gave different figures, saying that at least 297 Indonesians had joined IS. The Institute for Policy and Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) also quoted a number between 200 and 300.

In March, the Turkish government agreed to deport 16 Indonesians detained since January for allegedly trying to cross the Turkish border into Syria to join IS. The group, comprising one man, four women and 11 children, allegedly sold all of their belongings in Indonesia to finance their journey.

In the same month, the National Police also arrested three men in Malang, East Java, who had returned to Indonesia in September last year following a five-month stint with IS in Syria. One member of the group, Ahmad Junaedi, told the Post that he did not receive the incentives promised by IS recruiters in Indonesia.

Currently, Junaedi is on trial at the West Jakarta District Court along with 11 other men suspected of joining or assisting IS.

Meanwhile, National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti disputed the BNPT'€™s figures.

'€œ[Our data shows that] there are around 60 to 70 Indonesians [who have returned from Syria],'€ he told reporters on Thursday.

Badrodin said that some of the returnees had been deported by local authorities while others had voluntarily returned, although he did not divulge their reasons.

'€œTheir identities have been confirmed and we continue to monitor their movements,'€ he said, adding that the returnees originated from cities in Java, Sulawesi and West Nusa Tenggara.

Badrodin acknowledged that there may be several returnees who remain unaccounted for.

'€œThe ones who could cause a problem are those who returned home undetected. We are still unsure about it but we will continue to monitor whether [more have returned],'€ Badrodin said.

He said that the police had yet to detect any potential violence stemming from those who had returned.

Separately, terrorism expert Al Chaidar told the Post that the majority of the Indonesians who had returned from Syria posed no danger because they returned due to an ideological clash with the IS movement.

'€œWe should all remain calm because most of those who have come back [from Syria] came back because their ideologies were different,'€ he said on Thursday.

Terrorism expert Sidney Jones of IPAC meanwhile called on the government to initiate a specific deradicalization program for the returnees.

'€œThe government must try to handle them well and neutralize their radical mindset before they try to spread their radical ideology in Indonesia,'€ Jones said. (foy)

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