Indonesia arrests four Turks over ISIL link

JAKARTA

Elite Indonesian anti-terror police from Detachment 88 escort four Turks arrested on arrival at Jakarta airport on Sept. 14. AFP Photo

Indonesia's anti-terrorism police have arrested four Turks suspected of being linked to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) jihadist group, a spokesman said on Sept. 14.

The elite Detachment 88 police squad arrested the men, along with three Indonesians, after tailing their car on Sept. 13 in the central Sulawesi district of Poso, a known hotbed for militant activity, Boy Rafli Amar told AFP.

"They are Turkish," Amar said, confirming the arrest and adding that the men were being investigated for their connection to the dreaded Islamist group. "We suspect they are linked and are investigating further."

Indonesia is home to the world's biggest Muslim population of about 225 million and has long struggled with terrorism. But a successful clampdown in recent years has seen the end of major deadly attacks.

Jakarta has estimated that dozens of Indonesians have travelled to Syria and Iraq to fight and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said he was concerned about their return, adding that he had tasked agencies to oppose the spread of extremist ideology in the sprawling nation.

Ronny Sompie, another police spokesman said two of the Indonesians arrested Sept. 13 had fetched the foreigners "believed to be from an international terror group" from Makassar airport in South Sulawesi.

"The four foreigners managed to flee to the mountains" before their capture, he said.