The Indonesian police said that they have arrested nine suspected militants on September 23 who are allegedly plotting a suicide bomb attack on police forces. Dedi Prasetyo, the national police spokesperson said the counter-terrorism squad has arrested six people in Jakarta's satellite city of Bekasi on Monday, two others from the north of Jakarta and another from western Jakarta.
Prasetyo said that the concerned authorities found a 500-gram explosive from one of the suspects, Muhammad Arshad, defused it immediately and then raided his house. Police said that they have come across a goodbye letter written by Arshad, who allegedly planned a suicide attack using the explosive at a police station. Police also said that the suspects are expected to be linked to Jemaah Anshorut Daulah,  a local militant network affiliated with the Islamic State group.IS attacks abroad have inspired actions by Indonesian militants despite a sustained crackdown.

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About the Jamaah Ansharut Daulah

Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) is an Indonesian group that has been reported and linked to the 2018 Surabaya bombings and the 2019 Jolo Cathedral bombings. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has been reported as claiming responsibility for both attacks. The group had been identified by the United States Department of State as a terrorist organization in 2017. On 31 July 2018, a South Jakarta court made a ruling which outlawed the organization, allowing the arrest of all its members and organizers.

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The Surabaya bombings

The Surabaya bombings in 2018 were a series of terrorist attacks that initially occurred on 13 May 2018 in three churches in Surabaya, the second-largest city of Indonesia and the capital of East Java province. The explosions took place at Immaculate Saint Mary Catholic Church on Ngagel Madya Street, Indonesia Christian Church on Diponegoro Street, and Surabaya Central Pentecost Church on Arjuno Street. The first explosion took place at the SMTB Church; the second and third explosions followed within an hour. The fourth explosion took place in an apartment complex in Sidoarjo, a regency located south of Surabaya.
(With AP inputs)

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