Indonesia arrests 40 militant suspects ahead of inauguration

Indonesia's elite force of anti-terrorism unit went on a busy 24-hour spree to root out suspected Islamic militants ahe of a presidential inauguration at end of this week which will be attended by several Asian leers and Western countries' envoys. Arrests have come in wake of an attack in which a militant stabbed Indonesia's top security minister Wiranto, who is currently recovering.

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Details of Arrest

Reports say that 40 suspects have been detained by counter-terrorism squ kwn as Densus 88 in eight provinces, including four who were captured on October 17 as per national police spokesperson Dedi Prasetyo. crackdown was followed after a tipoff about possible attacks against police and places of worship. 

Six of arrested militants, including a woman, were presented in a news conference Thursday in orange detainee shirts and under heavy guard at police hequarters. y were t identified by police. police also displayed explosive chemicals for bomb-making, knives, jihi books, airsoft guns and rifles with silencers and sniper scopes y said were seized from suspects. Suspects were two female police officers who h been ricalised and were willing to be suicide bombers. 

Arrests have come in wake of an attack in which a militant stabbed Indonesia's top security minister Wiranto, who is currently recovering. President-elect Joko Widodo has ordered government forces to hunt down militants responsible for attack.  Wiranto, a local police chief, and a third man was wounded in bro daylight attack in Banten province last week by suspected militant Syahril Alamsyah and his wife, Fitria Andriana. Both are believed to be members of a local affiliate of Islamic State group kwn as Jemaah Anshorut Daulah, or J.

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Indonesia and Militancy

Indonesia is world's most populous Muslim nation and has been fighting militancy since bombings on a resort island of Bali in 2002 killed 202 people mostly foreigners.  Attacks at foreigners have w largely been replaced by smaller, less dely strikes which target government mainly police and anti-terrorism forces and local 'infidels'. Reports suggest that in May last year, two families carried out suicide bombings at churches in Indonesia's second-largest city of Surabaya, killing a dozen people and two young girls whose parents were involved in one of attacks. Police said  far of two girls was leer of a cell in larger militancy network which claimed allegiance to ISIS. 

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(With inputs from AP)