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                 Indonesia Arrests 3 Suspects in Jakarta Attack

   by VOA News

   Indonesian police detained three men Friday on suspicion of links to a
   brazen attack in the capital a day earlier that left two people dead
   and more than 20 wounded.

   Security was high across the country as the chief security minister,
   Luhut Pandjaitan, confirmed reports that three suspected militants were
   arrested in Depok on the outskirts of the capital.

   National police spokesman Anton Charliyan said raids were also under
   way on Java and other islands to round up suspected militants,
   according to Reuters news agency.

   ''The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for Thursday's
   bomb and gun attack in Jakarta.

   IS materials found

   Police said they have identified four of the five attackers, all of
   whom were killed Thursday.

   Charliyan said authorities found IS-related materials, including the
   group's identifiable black flag, during a search of one of the
   attackers' homes. He also said two of the five men were previously
   convicted and imprisoned for terrorism offenses.

   Thursday's assault began with a rapid-fire series of bombings and a
   shootout between gunmen and police in a busy part of the capital lined
   with a shopping center, luxury hotels and foreign embassies. The attack
   left two civilians dead; a Canadian national and an Indonesian citizen.

   ''President Joko Widodo urged residents to remain calm Friday, the
   Muslim holy day. He condemned the "acts of terror," stressing
   authorities are working to contain the situation.

   On Thursday, as he visited the scene of the attacks, he said, "Our
   nation and our people should not be afraid. We will not be defeated by
   these acts of terror. I hope the public stays calm."

   Muslim population

   If the IS link is proven, it will have been the first time the militant
   group has targeted Indonesia, which has the world's largest Muslim
   population. Jakarta has long been warned about the threat of
   recruitment by IS and other extremist groups. Hundreds of Indonesians
   are believed to have left to fight with the group in Syria and Iraq.

   There are also fears in Indonesia and other parts of Southeast Asia
   that as those fighters return to the region, a wave of extremist
   violence born in the Middle East could flow back to home shores.

   On Thursday, a U.S. counterterrorism official told VOA there was no
   reason to doubt Islamic State's claim of responsibility for the
   attacks.

   ''U.S. military and intelligence officials have been warning the terror
   group has been placing a greater emphasis on so-called external
   attacks, devoting more people and resources, while using the attacks in
   Paris that killed 130 as a model.

   "It's definitely a symptom of the losses they've been suffering, like
   in (the Iraqi city of) Ramadi," a U.S. official told VOA on condition
   of anonymity.

   Indonesia has been the target of several terrorist attacks, most
   notably the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people; mostly foreign
   tourists. Before Thursday, the last attack against foreigners was a
   twin hotel bombing in Jakarta in 2009.

   VOA National Security correspondent Jeff Seldin, State Department
   correspondent Pam Dockens and William Gallo contributed to this report
   from Washington.

   ''
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/indonesia-arrests-three-suspects-in-jakarta-attack/3147061.html