akarta Police have urged the public to question the sources of reports they may come across following the Surabaya bombing incidents in East Java amid the circulation of fake news on various social media platforms and messaging apps.
Among messages circulating include a false report that the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) and Densus 88 antiterror squad had issued a list of shopping malls in Jakarta and Surabaya that were allegedly being targeted by terrorists.
Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Argo Yuwono asserted that the information was false.
Read also: Jakarta, East Java, Riau Islands on highest alert after Surabaya bombings
"We can say that the broadcast [message] about the list of shopping malls in Jakarta and Surabaya [being targets of bombings] is incorrect," he said on Monday as quoted by kompas.com.
Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city after Jakarta, has been hit by four suicide bombings in the past two days. At least 14 people have been confirmed dead.
Following the deadly incidents, Jakarta has been on high alert. Argo said there had been many false reports purportedly aimed at creating fear among residents. (fac)
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