Indonesian authorities have arrested seven individuals accused of making terrorist threats against Pope Francis during his visit to the predominantly Muslim country.
Had Bows, Arrows and a Drone
The arrests occurred in the areas around Jakarta and in the provinces of West Sumatra and Bangka Belitung, according to Aswin Siregar, spokesperson for Indonesia’s elite counter-terrorism unit, Densus 88.
Accordingt to Ziare the suspects allegedly posted online threats, including bomb attacks, aimed at public events involving the Pope in Jakarta. One of the arrested individuals was found with a troubling cache of weapons, including bows, arrows, and a drone, along with ISIS propaganda.
This individual is suspected of having ties to the 2019 stabbing of Indonesia’s former security minister, Wiranto, by Islamic extremists.
Muslim-Majority Country
Authorities believe that the threats may have been inspired by the government’s decision to suspend the public broadcast of the Islamic call to prayer during the Pope’s visit to Jakarta’s Istiqlal Mosque, the largest mosque in Southeast Asia. For some extremists, this was seen as an affront, fueling their actions.
Despite the threats, Pope Francis proceeded with his visit undeterred. He met with the Grand Imam of the Istiqlal Mosque and signed a joint declaration promoting religious tolerance and environmental stewardship.
The declaration condemned the use of religion to incite violence and called for solidarity in combating extremism.
Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, has long struggled with radical Islamist violence, including the 2002 Bali bombings. This latest plot against the Pope serves as a reminder of the ongoing threat posed by extremism in the region.
