M

embers of the National Police’s Densus 88 counterterror squad arrested four men on suspicion of being members of the East Indonesia Mujahidin terrorist group in Bone and East Luwu regencies in South Sulawesi last week.

In separate raids, Densus 88 personnel arrested four suspects, who are believed to be members of the Poso-based terrorist network that had launched attacks on security personnel while hiding in the forests of Poso, Central Sulawesi.

Fifteen kilograms of explosive material was seized in the arrests, South Sulawesi Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Dicky Sondani said.

“The four men were below Santoso and Daeng Koro. They are bomb assemblers,” he said in Makassar on Saturday, referring to Santoso alias Abu Wardah, the former leader of the militant group killed in a shoot-out in July, 2016 and Daeng Koro, a senior member of the group who was killed in an armed clash with security personnel in 2015.

“They [the four suspects] are key informants of the remaining Poso terrorist group that are still at large. They provide protection and hiding spots to several wanted terrorists,” Dicky said, adding that the four suspects had been taken to Jakarta by Densus 88 personnel for further questioning.