In the first half of February 2020 the ‘Indonesian Islamic State (IS) returnees’ were a hot topic in local Indonesian media. Based on international reports, 689 Indonesian citizens have travelled to Syria (or Iraq) in support of the battle of Islamic terrorist group IS (albeit most experts assume that the real number is much higher). The problem now is that many among these 689 Indonesians – including children and women – have become stranded abroad, mostly in Syria and Turkey.

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Wiranto, Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, was injured in a knife assault on Thursday morning (10.10.2019) when he arrived for a visit at a local Islamic university in Pandeglang (Banten). Reportedly, one police officer as well as one aide of Wiranto were also injured in the attack.

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On Friday (22/06) the South Jakarta District Court sentenced Aman Abdurrahman to death as he has been found guilty of masterminding terrorist attacks in Indonesia, including the Thamrin (Central Jakarta) suicide bombings and shootings in early 2016 as well as the Kampung Melayu bombing in East Jakarta in 2017. Abdurrahman is the leader of the Jamaah Anshar Daulah (JAD), one of the local terrorist networks that is affiliated with Islamic State (IS).

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On Sunday morning (13/05) terrorists struck three churches in Surabaya (East Java) when Sunday morning services were about to start or were ongoing. By 14:00 pm local time on Monday police confirmed 15 deaths (including the six terrorists) and 45 injured people (who are being treated in local hospitals). However, over the past hours these numbers have been rising and therefore there is a chance they will rise further in the next couple of hours as developments proceed and more information becomes available.

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After the suicide bomb attack in Manchester (United Kingdom) and the firefight between Philippine military forces and local Islamic State (IS)-inspired Maute fighters in Mindanao earlier this week, Indonesia also became the center of a new radical Islamic attack when - on Wednesday evening (24/05) - two suicide bombers struck at the Kampung Melayu bus station in East Jakarta, killing three police officers and injuring about a dozen others. Including the two terrorist, it led to five casualties. IS claimed responsibility for the attack.

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It is no surprise that Jakarta prosecution only demands a relatively light sentence for incumbent Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (better known by his nickname Ahok) for his alleged blasphemous speech in late-2016. On Thursday (20/04) prosecution announced their recommendation of two years of probation for Ahok. The announcement came (deliberately) one day after the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial election. Based on the quick count results Ahok was defeated by Anies Baswedan in this election and so we assume that this blasphemy trial has now lost its significance.

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Panic arose in Bandung (West Java) after a low-explosive, homemade bomb exploded on Monday morning (27/02) around 09:00 am local time near Pandawa Park in Cicendo. Indonesian police said there were no casualties. The man who allegedly detonated the bomb fled to an urban community office building before being shot by police about two hours after the explosion (and rushed to a local hospital where he is currently being treated). A second suspect, a woman, fled on a motorcycle. Police is still looking for her.

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Shares in Asia (as well as US stock futures) are trading lower, while the US dollar is sliding on Monday (30/01) after US President Donald Trump announced to curb immigration into the USA. This move sparked wide criticism at home and abroad, while giving rise to uncertainty about future (unpredictable) US political and economic policies. Since Friday (27/01) refugees from seven predominantly Muslim countries - Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen - are banned (for 90 days) from entering the USA.

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Tito Karniavan, Chief of Indonesia's National Police, said a total of 33 (alleged) Muslim terrorists were killed in Indonesia in full-year 2016, a steep increase from the seven Islamic militants that were killed in the preceding year. These alleged terrorists died when they resisted security forces during their arrest. These actions also led to the death of one police officer as well as 11 wounded officers this year. Meanwhile, the number of terror crime cases rose to 170 in full-year 2016, more than doubling from 82 cases in 2015.

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Indonesia's special counter-terrorism force Densus 88 killed three alleged terrorists in a shooting just outside the Indonesian capital city of Jakarta on Wednesday morning (21/12). Meanwhile, Densus 88 arrested another man and discovered a cache of bombs, presumably intended to be used for suicide bombings during Christmas celebrations. The shooting - and discovery of the bombs - took place at two rented houses at a housing complex in South Tangerang (Banten Province) some 25 kilometers outside Jakarta.

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On Tuesday (15/08) Indonesian Police arrested five suspected Islamic State (IS) sympathizers. Meanwhile, various bomb making chemicals were seized in the houses of the five suspected Islamic militants. The arrests and confiscation of materials occurred in the city of Bandung (West Java). The five arrests involve one married couple and three men.

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The 17-year-old Ivan Armadi who tried to kill a Catholic priest and detonate a self-made bomb during the Sunday service (28/08) in a church in Medan (North Sumatra) is one example of the Islamic State sympathizers that are present in Indonesia. Although the police investigation indicates that there are no direct links between Armadi and existing militant networks within Indonesia or abroad, the case shows that there are so-called "lone-wolves" in Indonesia who are inspired by radical Islamic doctrine and can learn to make bombs from the Internet.

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In an update on Thursday (25/02) Australian authorities advised the public to exercise a high degree of caution in Indonesia as recent indications suggest that Islamic militants may be in an advanced stage of preparing violent attacks in Indonesia. Australia warns about possible terrorist attacks throughout Indonesia (including Bali and Jakarta) and it specifically discourages journeys to Central Sulawesi, Papua and West Papua. On Thursday 14 January 2016 Islamic militants engaged in attacks in Central Jakarta, resulting in eight casualties (including the four terrorists).

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Tourism in Indonesia has posted impressive growth rates in recent years. This development is due to the fact that Indonesia has plenty of beautiful sites and cultural traditions to offer to foreign (and domestic) tourists, improved airline accessibility to Indonesia, and enhanced focus on promotional campaigns in foreign countries. Lastly, and not unimportantly, there have been no violent terrorist attacks in recent years. In the 2000s, a vicious terrorist attack always resulted in a temporary drop in foreign tourist arrivals.

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Last Thursday night, a Nigerian drug dealer, imprisoned since 2004, was executed by firing squad near Kepulauan Seribu to the north of Jakarta's coast. This execution is the first since the execution of three Islamic radicals (who were involved in the 2002 Bali bombings) in 2008. Meanwhile, on Friday morning, counter-terrorism squad Densus 88 killed three suspected Muslim militants that robbed a jewelry store in Tambora, West Jakarta.

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