59 Suspected Militants Arrested in Indonesia Over Alleged Plot to Disrupt 2024 Elections

Indonesia's counterterrorism squad Densus 88 uncovers alleged plan by extremist groups linked to al-Qaida and ISIS to attack security forces and disrupt upcoming February elections, marking the latest in the nation's ongoing struggle against militancy.

Indonesia's counter-terrorism squad, Densus 88, arrested 59 suspected militants across eight provinces in October 2023 due to alleged plans to disrupt the upcoming elections in February 2024.
The militants, thought to be linked to extremist groups such as Jemaah Islamiyah, an Al-Qaida-linked group, and Jemaah Anshorut Daulah, an ISIS affiliate, planned to attack security forces to discourage or interrupt the election process.
Upon their arrest, the police seized an assault rifle, a pistol, magazines, dozens of rounds of ammunition, airsoft guns, and blades used for military-style training.
19 of the arrested individuals are suspected to be members of Jemaah Islamiyah, which has been responsible for multiple attacks, including the 2002 bombings in Bali that killed 202 people, mainly foreign tourists.
The remaining 40 are believed to be members of Jemaah Anshorut Daulah or are part of a separate, unstructured extremist cell; over the last years, militant attacks have gradually shifted from targeting foreigners to focusing on the state and locals deemed infidels.