Women, Youngsters More Vulnerable to Terrorist Recruitment: BNPT

TEMPO.CO, Banyumas - Women and youngsters are more vulnerable to terrorist recruitment as evidenced by terror cases in Indonesia, the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) chief Comr. Gen. Suhardi Alius said. “Bekasi and Bandung have seen the phenomenon of women blowing themselves up, including plans to bomb the Presidential Security Force [Paspampres],” he said in his public lecture yesterday at Jendral Soedirman University in Purwokerto.

Suhardi said that terrorist groups use female bombers as more women are still being shown more respect. As a result, they are afforded more lenient security checks.

Read: Propagation of Radicalism Now Done Online: BNPT

Aside from women, youngsters are also more vulnerable terrorist recruitment due to their unstable psychological and emotional state. Most terrorists use social media to recruit new members. The potential is greater since 139 million Indonesians are active social media users. “Recruitment used to be carried out through families, friends, figureheads and religious institutions. It is now carried out openly on social media,” he noted.

Deradicalization of youths is ongoing through 60 peace ambassadors assigned in every city across the country, Suhardi said.

Terrorists are recruiting less educated people. Suhardi said that a meatball vendor in Malang City was offered a job as a tank driver by terrorists before eventually assigned as a cook. Global terrorism, which is dominated by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), has affected security situation in Indonesia. An ISIS sympathizer base in Poso, Central Sulawesi, has been formed following the battle in Marawi, the Philippines. Suhardi said that ISIS fighters are likely to enter other districts in Indonesia.

BETHRIQ KINDY ARRAZY | MITRA TARIGAN