Jakarta, Sep 7 (EFE).– Indonesian police have arrested seven suspects for planning an attack on Pope Francis during his recent visit to the country.
In a statement issued late Friday, the counterterrorism unit, Densus-88, confirmed that most of the suspects were apprehended between Sep. 2 and 3 in the cities of Bogor, approximately 50 km from Jakarta, and Bekasi, located to the east of the capital’s metropolitan area.
Authorities said the suspects, identified only by their initials, were allegedly plotting an assault on Pope Francis.
Alleged evidence recovered from the home of one detainee included bows and arrows, a drone, and Islamic State propaganda.
Densus-88 spokesman Aswin Siregar said investigations were ongoing, and it had not yet been determined whether the suspects were connected to each other or belonged to the same extremist cell.
Pope Francis visited Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, from Sep. 3 to 6. During his stay, he visited Jakarta’s Istiqlal Mosque, the largest in Southeast Asia, where he delivered a message of unity and religious harmony alongside Indonesian Grand Imam Nasaruddin Umar.
On Saturday, Pope Francis commenced the second leg of his Southeast Asia and Oceania tour in Papua New Guinea. His tour will also include stops in East Timor and Singapore next week.
Despite a rise in radical groups over the past two decades, Indonesia has seen reduced activity from these factions in recent years. EFE
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