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Police arrest suspects, ramp up security after Makassar bombing
Police urge Christians to celebrate the Holy Week from home to guarantee their safety following Sunday's bomb attack on a church in Makassar, South Sulawesi.
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A police officer stands guard in front of the Makassar Catholic Cathedral in South Sulawesi on Monday. The previous day, two suicide bombers detonated a bomb in the church's courtyard, killing them and injuring at least 19 churchgoers and church officials. (Antara/Arnas Padda)
T
he police have stepped up efforts to prevent terrorist attacks during the Christian Holy Week celebrations by arresting terror suspects and tightening security at churches across the nation, following a church bombing in Makassar, South Sulawesi, on Sunday.
National Police chief Gen. Listyo Sigit said on Monday the National Police's counterterrorism squad Densus 88 had captured several individuals allegedly related to Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), a homegrown Islamic State-linked extremist group.
The group has been responsible for several attacks, including suicide bombings at churches in Surabaya, East Java, in 2018 in which several people were killed.
Densus 88 personnel arrested four suspects in Makassar, identified only by their initials AS, SAS, MR and AA. The police believe they were in the same pengajian (Quran reading) group with the two suicide bombers.
Listyo said the four suspects allegedly indoctrinated the suicide bombers, prepared the attack plan and bought explosive materials for the bomb.
Read also: Suicide bombing rocks Makassar Cathedral on Palm Sunday
The counterterrorism squad also arrested five suspects in Bima city, West Nusa Tenggara, on Monday morning. Around the same time, officers also apprehended four individuals in Condet, East Jakarta, and Bekasi, West Java.
