Indonesian police arrest 8 suspected militants, part of a banned extremist group with al-Qaida links

By MOHAMMAD TAUFAN
Associated Press

PALU, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian authorities say the country’s elite counterterrorism police have arrested eight suspected militants in recent days believed to be part of a new cell linked to Jemaah Islamiyah, an al-Qaida-linked group. Police conducted raids in Central Sulawesi province between Tuesday and Thursday. Two laptops, several cellular phones and documents, including jihadist books were seized and suspects were being interrogated, according to the police. The National Police spokesperson said Saturday the arrests were the result of information obtained from 59 suspected militants detained in Oct. 2023. Jemaah Islamiyah is responsible for several attacks inside Indonesia, namely, the 2002 bombings on the resort island of Bali that killed 202 people.