JAKARTA (THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - The National Police's antiterror squad, Densus 88, arrested a suspected terrorist in the East Java provincial capital of Surabaya on Saturday (Dec 9).

The man, identified only by his initials MM, was apprehended at his residence in the Semampir area.

"We arrested him at around 5am," Tanjung Perak Harbour Police Chief Ronny Suseno said as quoted in a statement released by the National Police.

Ronny stopped short of providing further information about the man, including the name of the terror group he is allegedly affiliated with. The statement added that at least 50 police officers stood guard outside the suspect's house.

Antara News agency reported that the man was well-known by his neighbours and that he and his family had lived in the neighbourhood for four years. "I never thought that he would be involved in a terrorist network," Noval Salim, one of the neighbours, said.

Meanwhile, Antara also reported that two other suspected terrorists were arrested in the province.

According to Muhammad Iqbal, chief of the National Police's Public Information Bureau, all three were arrested in different places.

The second suspect, arrested in the Sidoarjo district, is believed to be a member of Jamaah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT) group, Iqbal said, adding that he was also allegedly involved in a plan to bomb a police building in Surabaya in 2014.

"He is believed to have bought and prepared materials to make bombs," Iqbal said.

The third suspect, arrested in the Malang district, is believed to be a member of the Abu Jandal network and has joined the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group to become a foreign terrorist fighter, he added.