Police arrest 4 in Sumatra suspected of planning year-end holiday attacks
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JAKARTA • The Indonesian Police's anti-terror squad Densus 88 has arrested four suspected terrorists in the cities of Palembang and Lubuklinggau, in South Sumatra province, a police officer said.
They are allegedly linked to the outlawed Jemaah Islamiah (JI) militant group and are suspected of planning several attacks during the Christmas and New Year holidays, the South Sumatra police's spokesman, Senior Commissioner Supriadi, said on Monday.
He said the police had watched the suspects for four months before arresting them. They are being held for further investigation.
Following the arrest, Mr Supriadi said the police would strengthen security during the holidays, particularly at places of worship. He urged people to immediately report to the police if they find something suspicious.
JI, an affiliate of Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda, was behind some of the deadliest attacks in Indonesia, including the 2000 Christmas Eve bombings of churches, and the 2002 nightclub blasts on the island of Bali that killed 202 people, mostly Westerners.
XINHUA
