T

he Brunei police have arrested an Indonesian man in possession of ammunition as he was transiting through Brunei International Airport in Bandar Seri Begawan.

Rustawi Tomo Kabul, 63, was passing through Brunei from Surabaya, East Java, when local authorities made the arrest prior to him boarding a Royal Brunei Airlines flight, a government official said on Wednesday.

Foreign Ministry director for the protection of Indonesian nationals and entities abroad Lalu Muhammad Iqbal said the Indonesian Embassy in Brunei had received notification on May 2 about the arrest of three Indonesian citizens by the Brunei police for the alleged possession of '€œsensitive or dangerous items'€ uncovered in one of the detainee'€™s bags during a routine inspection.

'€œThe Indonesian Embassy in Brunei Darussalam was notified of the arrest of the three Indonesians, two men and one woman, as they were carrying suspicious objects, including bullets,'€ Iqbal told reporters.

The three Indonesians, whose identities were then unclear and whom the embassy had no access to, were on their way to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on a minor haj pilgrimage, or umrah.

Two of them have since been released, continuing on to Jeddah, while the third remains in the custody of Brunei'€™s Internal Security Department and is awaiting trial on May 11, Iqbal said.

According to Iqbal, the Indonesian Embassy was assisting Rustawi, from Malang, East Java, in the legal process, as he was subject to local laws and regulations.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said the Indonesian Embassy would continue to coordinate with local authorities on the matter.

The Brunei authorities have declined to comment, but told foreign media outlets that they would have no access to Rustawi and would have to wait until '€œmandatory consular notification'€ from Brunei'€™s Foreign and Trade Ministry, signed by both countries, had been received.

The Brunei Times reported that Rustawi was charged in court on Monday with possessing unlicensed firearms, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison with whipping.

Deputy public prosecutor Norsuzanawati Abas requested the defendant be remanded for a week at Bandar Seri Begawan Police Station to assist the police in their investigation.

The arrest comes as the Indonesian government steps up measures to prevent the country'€™s citizens from joining the Islamic State (IS) organization.

National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) chief Comr. Gen. Saud Usman Nasution has said that the recruitment of IS fighters from Indonesia jumped significantly between June and October last year.

Saud estimated 514 Indonesians had gone to Syria and Iraq to fight with IS.

Recently, the Indonesian government teamed up with the Turkish authorities to search for 16 Indonesians who went missing while on a group tour in Istanbul.

The 16 Indonesians, six of whom are children '€” with one being 10 months old '€” and another a teenager, entered Turkey with nine other Indonesians on Feb. 24 on a tour arranged by Smailing Tour travel agency.

The 16 immediately separated from the group after clearing immigration.