Indonesian police have reported the arrest of a group of seven people who allegedly intended to attack Pope Francis during the pontiff’s visit to the country, which ended this Friday.
In a statement released Friday evening, the anti-terrorist unitknown as Densus-88, noted that between September 2 and 3, the arrest of the majority of the suspects took place in the cities of Bogor, about 50 kilometers from Jakarta, and Bekasi, east of the capital’s metropolitan area.
The suspects, identified only by their initials, were planning an attack on Pope Francis, according to evidence discovered during a search of the home of one of the detainees. During the operation, authorities seized bows and arrows, a drone and Islamic State Propagandathe authorities emphasize.
Densus-88 spokesman Aswin Siregar said investigations were still ongoing and it had not yet been established whether the seven detainees knew each other or were members of the same group. terrorist cell.
Pope Francis visited Indonesia, country with the largest number of Muslims in the worldbetween the 3rd and the 6th of this month.
During his stay, the pontiff visited the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, the largest in Southeast Asia, where, together with the Indonesian Grand Imam Nasaruddin Umar, they sent a message of unity and religious harmony.
Indonesia, which generally practices a moderate form of Islam, has seen a rise in the influence of radical groups over the past two decades, although they have been less active in recent years.
