Members of the police and army stand guard in Kuala Lumpur
Terrorists could be in the “advanced stages” of planning an attack in Indonesia, the Australian government has warned — the second alert for the region this week after it flagged possible attacks on Kuala Lumpur earlier.
The warnings come amid fears of rising militancy and the growing influence of Islamic State across Southeast Asia.
“Recent indications suggest that terrorists may be in the advanced stages of preparing attacks in Indonesia,” said updated advice on the government Smart Traveller site yesterday.
“We advise you to exercise a high degree of caution in Indonesia, including Bali, at this time due to the high threat of terrorist attack.”
Indonesian foreign ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir said yesterday Canberra had advised “a few days back” of its intention to upgrade its advice, demonstrating the level of co-operation between the countries.
“What we have been informed (is) that recent indications suggest there is indication of (terrorists) maybe preparing — maybe,” he said.
“My information from our security authority here is that we have not received information on this increased threat. Information we received this morning is that they haven’t found any indication of increasing threat.”
Security was stepped up across the country following the January 14 attacks in central Jakarta that killed eight people including four militants. The attack was the first significant terror strike on the capital since the 2009 attack on Jakarta’s Ritz Carlton and JW Marriott hotels.
Security has been tightened in preparation for next month’s meeting in Jakarta of Organisation of Islamic Co-operation members to discuss the future of Palestinian claims. About 40 people have been arrested across Indonesia recently on suspicion of terrorist links.
The Australian travel advisory noted Indonesian police had “stated publicly that terrorist suspects remain at large and they may seek to attack Western targets”, including nightclubs, bars, international schools, restaurants, hotels and airports.
On Sunday, the government warned of possible terror attacks on major Malaysian cities, including Kuala Lumpur, drawing a sharp rebuke and claims of racism from the Malaysian government and police.
The advice also warned against travel to coastal resorts in Malaysia’s eastern Sabah state, citing a high threat of kidnapping and attacks by armed insurgents.
Kuala Lumpur has had no prominent terrorist attacks in recent years although last month Prime Minister Najib Razak said Islamic State and its regional affiliate Katibah Nusantara — also linked to the Jakarta attacks — posed a very real threat.
Malaysia’s Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz said Australia faced a greater threat than Kuala Lumpur “so for me, if they want to warn their citizens to be careful, that’s not a problem”. “We also tell our citizens to be careful when they go to Australia because that country is racist,” he said.
Yohanes Sulamein, a security analyst at Indonesia’s National Defence University, said there was a lot of “chatter and bragging” among militant networks and that was the likely source of Australia’s intelligence.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/in-depth/terror/travellers-warned-of-advanced-indonesian-terror-plot/news-story/06df8eb73c73d281c1fd839623de34f4
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