JAKARTA: Indonesian police said Monday anger at a US-made
anti-Islam film was among the motives behind failed terror attacks
against foreign targets.
Last week, the anti-terror squad arrested 11 people suspected of
planning attacks on domestic and foreign targets, including the US
Embassy and a site near the Australian Embassy.
National police spokesman Brig. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar said based on
seized documents and other information, anger at the American-made movie
denigrating Islam’s Prophet Muhammad was one of the reasons behind the
planned attacks.
The movie caused deadly outrage across the Middle East when it went online in September.
Police seized a number of bombs, explosive materials, a bomb-making
manual and ammunition, along with a small gas cylinder filled with
highly explosive material during the Friday and Saturday raids in four
cities, including the capital Jakarta.
The US Embassy in Jakarta has urged US citizens in Indonesia to avoid large crowds and other gatherings that might turn violent.
”At first, they wanted to attack (security) officers … and based on
documents and other information, the foreign targets were linked with
the film which insulted Islam,” Amar told a news conference.
He was referring to ”Innocence of Muslims,” that denigrates the
Prophet Muhammad. At least 49 people, including the US ambassador to
Libya, were killed last month in violence linked to the film.
Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, has been
battling terrorists since the 2002 bombings in Bali, which killed 202
people, mostly foreign tourists.
Subsequent attacks have claimed more than 50 people, mostly
Indonesians. The government has arrested more than 700 suspected
terrorists and killed dozens more in an attempt to root out the
militants.