'Extremists' arrested

'Extremists' arrested

BANJARNEGARA, Central Java: Police have arrested seven people accused of trying to turn Indonesia into an Islamic state.

Deputy chief of the Banjarnegara Police precinct Maj. Giran Abdul Djalil said the men were members of the Indonesian Islamic State (NII) extremist group.

Hailing from Yogyakarta, Purwokerto and Kebumen, they were targeting uneducated villagers for their political propaganda, he said. The group had spent about five months getting villagers to support their campaign, before they were arrested.

He said most of the suspects claimed to be students of various state universities in Java. They posed as clothes hawkers to elude the authorities and disguise their activity.

"They considered Indonesia 'dead' and believed it had to be revived as an Islamic state," he was quoted by Antara as saying. (pan)