TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) chief Suhardi Alius has opened up about recent terror attacks that happened across the globe. He said that compared to other countries, Indonesia has performed well in handling and detecting possible terror attacks.
“Despite our extensive geographical area, we are in control. It means that the ability to detect [terror] is good,” Suhardi said after meeting President Joko Widodo on Monday, April 10, 2017.
The world has been hit by numerous terror attacks in the past few months. A terror attack in London, England, in March killed dozens of people.
The latest terror attack took place in Stockholm, Sweden, when a truck rammed into the crowd at a shopping center. Latest reports say that three people were killed in the incident. The Swedish government has suspended operations of transportation modes over security concerns.
Meanwhile, in Indonesia, police have successfully cracked down on terror suspects in the last three days. On Friday, April 7, police arrested three terror suspects in the city of Lamongan, East Java. The next day, six terror suspects were shot dead in a fire exchange with police in the city of Tuban, East Java.
Suhardi said that he had no intention to boast Indonesia’s achievements. He said that the agency continues to improve preparedness to face terror attacks or spread of radicalism. He reasoned that terrorists continue to develop new modes of operation. He pointed to the example of radicalism of children. Younger generations have easier access to information with the help of the internet.
“Possible exposures to [radicalism] remain. It’s been proven that [terror suspects] being deported [to Indonesia] were well-educated,” Suhardi said.
ISTMAN MP
