Antiterror squad guards 23 sites<\/p>\n
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Anticipating terrorist attacks around Christmas and New Year,
\nJakarta Police have deployed hundreds of members of antiterror
\nsquad Detachment 88 at churches, embassy buildings, hotels and
\nshopping centers.<\/p>\n
Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Firman Gani said on Sunday
\nthat the police would focus on the 23 locations as they were
\nstrategic places that would be visited by many people during
\nChristmas and new year celebrations.<\/p>\n
\"Besides the antiterror squad, we have also deployed several
\nintelligence officers around the 23 places to monitor the
\nsurrounding environment. Most of the places are located in
\nCentral Jakarta. We want to focus more in guarding these places,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Firman said that police had increased the number of churches
\nand places of worship to be guarded from 640 to 1,252 in Greater
\nJakarta after a recent survey revealed that more new churches had
\nbeen established.<\/p>\n
He said that the police would also guard 900 other buildings,
\nincluding offices and shopping centers.<\/p>\n
Firman said that Jakarta Police were still on full alert and
\nhad readied around 17,000 of a total of 24,000 personnel to guard
\nchurches where services would be held on Christmas Eve and
\nChristmas Day.<\/p>\n
Earlier, police said that they would deploy more personnel at
\ncertain churches, such as Jakarta Cathedral and other churches in
\nCentral Jakarta as many people were expected to come there during
\nChristmas.<\/p>\n
General crimes unit chief at the Jakarta Police, Sr. Comr.
\nMoh. Jaelani, said all of the units, including the intelligence
\ndivision, detective units, bomb squads and mobile brigade units
\nwould be involved in the operation.<\/p>\n
He said that the police would not lower their level of alert
\nafter the new year, in spite of the fact that Malaysian bombing
\nmastermind Azahari bin Husin had been killed recently as his
\naccomplice Noordin M. Top still had many new recruits that could
\nlaunch attacks anywhere in Indonesia, especially, in Jakarta,
\nduring Christmas and new year.<\/p>\n
Azahari and his close aide Noordin reportedly masterminded
\nmajor attacks on Western targets in Indonesia, including the 2002
\nBali blasts, which killed 202 people, mostly tourists. They were
\nalso believed to have played a role in the Oct. 1 Bali bombing,
\nwhich killed 23 people, including the three suicide bombers.<\/p>\n
Suspected members of Jamaah Islamiyah bombed 11 churches on
\nChristmas Eve across the country in 2000, killing 19 people.<\/p>\n
Azahari was killed during a police raid in Batu, Malang, West
\nJava, last month, but were still hunting down Noordin after he
\nmanaged to escape arrest.<\/p>\n
A document found during a raid on one of Noordin's hideouts
\nsaid that the terrorist group planned to launch bomb attacks on
\nseveral places in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Firman also reiterated that information from Detachment 88
\nsuggested that the terrorist group was aiming at the capital.<\/p>\n
State Intelligence Agency (BIN) head Syamsir Siregar warned
\nlast Wednesday that he had received information suggesting that
\nterrorists were planning attacks over the Christmas-new year
\nperiod in large cities across the sprawling archipelago,
\nincluding Jakarta.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/antiterror-squad-guards-23-sites-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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