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Terrorists targeting police in foiled Banten terror plot
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On alert: Police officers stand guard at a residential neighborhood where police conducted a raid on a house used by suspected militants, in South Tangerang, Banten, on Wednesday. Indonesian police said three suspected militants who were planning a holiday season suicide bombing were killed in the raid Wednesday on the outskirts of Jakarta in the second imminent attack to be foiled in less than two weeks. (AP/Tatan Syuflana)
T
he National Police said on Wednesday that a group of terrorists was planning a bombing attack targeting law enforcement personnel in South Tangerang, Banten, before the police foiled their plot earlier in the day.
“They were planning to carry out amaliyah, by attacking a police post and stabbing our on-duty personnel,” National Police spokesperson Brig. Gen. Rikwanto said, as quoted by tempo.co. He was referring to a code word used widely by extremists to refer to a suicide bomb attack.
On Wednesday morning, The National Police’s counterterrorism squad Densus 88 raided a rented house in Babakan subdistrict, Setu district, South Tangerang, during which they shot dead three alleged terrorists.
(Read also: Three shot dead, one arrested in Tangerang during raid for Christmas bombs)
The raid, Rikwanto said, had been made after Densus 88 personnel had arrested a suspected terrorist, identified as Adam, on Jl. Raya Serpong, also in South Tangerang. Based on information from Adam, Densus 88 launched a raid on the house, where three suspected terrorists, identified as Omen, Helmi and Irwan, were preparing explosives for the attack plot.
The three were shot dead on the scene after resisting arrest.
“We asked them to surrender, but the three suspects threw a bomb at our personnel,” Rikwanto said.
From Adam, police reportedly learned that the group was going to attack a police post near the Eka Hospital in the Bumi Serpong Damai area, in the outskirts of Jakarta.
(Read also: Police's counterterrorism squad foils plot to bomb State Palace)
The stabbing scenario, Rikwanto said, was meant to be staged to attract a crowd and create more casualties.
“After people would gather at the crime scene, another suspect would come to detonate a bomb. Their targets were police personnel guarding the crime scene,” Rikwanto said.
Earlier this month, Densus 88 managed to foil a plot to attack a major target in Jakarta, believed to be the State Palace. A number of suspects have been arrested over the plot, including some people who allegedly created the explosives intended for the attack. (hwa)
