TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - – Terrorism expert Al Chaidar has said radicalism and terrorism have long infiltrated campus environments. He added the spread of radicalism have intensified since the declaration of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in 2013.
“They declared it everywhere, on campuses,” said Al Chaidar during a telephone interview with Tempo today on Monday, June 4.
Al Chaidar said, however, that only a few college students with radical views involved in terrorism. He quoted a research that there had only been eight college students with proven involvement in acts of terror.
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“That was from the past 18 years, from the year 2000 to 2018,” said Al Chaidar.
He went on that most of the people involved in terrorism were university graduates rather than college students. He added that most of them were of less popular universities. "None of them [perpetrators] hailed from well-established campuses,” he said.
On Saturday, June 2, personnel from the police's counterterrorism squad Densus 88 nabbed three suspected terrorists on the premises of the University of Riau. The suspects were alumnus of the college.
Read: Source Reveals Details of Riau Terrorist`s Life prior to Arrest
Densus 88 personnel also discovered an improvised explosive device (IED) during the raid. Authorities also found several chemical powders used to create the bomb that was stolen from the campus’ laboratory. Police questioning revealed that the suspects chose campus environments since it was considered a safe zone.
SYAFIUL HADI
