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olice have so far detained 18 individuals suspected of involvement in terrorist activities following last week'€™s fatal attack at the Cakrawala building on Jl. MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta.

National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti told reporters on Friday that six of the men arrested in the past week were directly involved in purchasing weapons used in the attack, which was allegedly orchestrated by the Islamic State (IS) movement in Syria through Bahrun Naim, an Indonesian believed to be currently residing in Syria.

'€œSix of the 18 people were directly involved in the bombings that occurred at the Starbucks cafe on Jl. MH Thamrin and the nearby traffic police post,'€ he said at the National Police headquarters in South Jakarta.

The six men were arrested in Tegal, Central Java, and Indramayu and Cirebon in West Java.

Badrodin explained that two of the six suspects had knowledge of bomb assembly, while one of them had bought a gas container. Another was responsible for buying firearms.

'€œThe evidence that we obtained includes two guns, several projectiles and bombs that had yet to be detonated and also several flakes from a bomb'€™s gas container,'€ he said.

The National Police'€™s counterterrorism unit, Densus 88, continued its operation after arresting the six individuals suspected of direct links to the attack and nabbed six other men in Bekasi, West Java, and Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, for illegal firearms possession.

'€œ[They were arrested] in relation to illegal possession of firearms and because they were planning to commit [more terrorist action]. They are also supporters of the East Indonesia Mujahiddin [MIT],'€ Badrodin said, referring to a militant group led by the notorious Santoso and based in Poso, Central Sulawesi.

Badrodin said one of the six, identified only as HF, had received Rp 1 billion (US$72,332) from Bahrumsyah in Syria. Bahrumsyah is thought to be one of the three leading Indonesian figures in IS alongside Bahrun and Salim Mubarok Attamimi, known also as Abu Jandal Al Yemeni Al Indonesi.

The group of six were allegedly working to get bullets for the nine firearms they had earlier acquired for their plan.

Badrodin said Densus 88 was still hunting down a number of men believed to be connected to the six detainees. Another man, identified as EF, was arrested with the six but was eventually released as there was not enough evidence to charge him.

He said the last batch of six detainees suspected of links to the attack were currently imprisoned.

'€œWe have also named six people from the Nusakambangan prison [in Cilacap, Central Java] and Tangerang prison [in Banten] for supporting the second group by providing them with the firearms,'€ he said, adding that they had been returned to their respective prisons to continue their sentences.

Although the police believed the firearm possession was connected to terrorist activities, the 12 individuals not directly connected to last week'€™s attacks could not be charged with Law No. 15/2003 on terrorism eradication, as they had not yet carried out any activities.

Instead, they would be charged with Emergency Law No. 12/1951 on illegal firearm possession.

The head of the center for national security studies at the Bhayangkara University in Jakarta, Hermawan Sulistyo, said there was a possibility that the firearms used in last week'€™s attack were procured from the Philippines through Mindanao, the second largest and southernmost major island of the country.

'€œThe old route used to go through Mindanao and then through Miangas [North Sulawesi]. There are a lot of small islands there, and all you need to do is cross over there,'€ he said.