Suspects linked to ISIS planned an attack on Pope Francis during his visit to Indonesia but were intercepted due to their own online activity, authorities report.
Last week, Indonesian national police apprehended seven individuals suspected of plotting to target the 87-year-old pope while he was in Jakarta as part of his Asia-Pacific tour.
During raids on September 2 and 3, police confiscated bows and arrows, a drone, and ISIS propaganda materials from the suspects’ residences.
According to an unnamed source, at least some of the suspects had sworn allegiance to ISIS, with one having previously been part of the same ISIS-affiliated cell that attacked Indonesia’s chief security minister in 2019. It is not yet clear if all seven detainees were collaborating on the plot.
The plotters were reportedly motivated by the pope’s visit to Istiqlal Mosque, the largest mosque in Southeast Asia, and the government’s directive to avoid interrupting the pope’s Mass with the Islamic call to prayer, as reported by the Straits Times.
The suspects were allegedly exposed through their social media threats and propaganda, which led to their identification by the public. They had also made threats about starting fires at certain locations.
Col. Aswin Siregar of the national police’s anti-terror unit, Detachment 88, stated, “We had tip-off information from members of the public and used our monitoring mechanisms.”
During his Jakarta visit, the pope advocated for peace and tolerance. Indonesian authorities enhanced security for his three-day stay, deploying around 4,000 personnel, including police, snipers, and soldiers, to ensure his safety.
