Indonesia detains 7 over ‘ISIS terror plot’ to attack Pope Francis during Jakarta visit: Report

The Indonesian police have detained seven people in connection with a “terror plot” aimed at attacking Pope Francis during his visit to Jakarta earlier this week. Most of the arrests occurred on September 2 and 3 in Jakarta, as well as in the surrounding cities of Bogor and Bekasi, West Sumatra province, and Bangka Belitung Islands province, according to media statements from the country's national police anti-terrorism squad Detachment-88, reported The Straits Times.

Pope Francis's visit, part of his 12-day Asia-Pacific tour that includes stops in Jakarta and Singapore, is expected to have a significant impact in Dili despite ongoing abuse scandals within the church, the report added. On Friday, Pope Francis concluded the first leg of the tour in the archipelago.

Detachment-88 spokesman Colonel Aswin Siregar informed reporters that the investigation is still ongoing and it has not yet been determined whether the seven detainees are connected or belong to the same terror cell.

“We have a mechanism to monitor and filter. We had tip-off information from members of the public,” Colonel Aswin was quoted as saying.

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What may be the reasons behind the ‘plot’?

Searches conducted at the home of one of the militants suspected of planning an attack on Pope Francis – who visited Jakarta from September 3 to 6 – revealed bows and arrows, a drone, and ISIS leaflets, according to a source cited by The Straits Times. Some of those arrested had pledged allegiance to ISIS, the source added.

“One of the arrested is a militant who belongs to the same terror group that attacked Wiranto,” the source quoted by the newspaper said, referring to Indonesia’s former Chief Security Minister, who was stabbed by two ISIS-radicalized assailants in 2019 and had to undergo surgery following the attack.

He said the militants were upset about Pope Francis’ visit to Jakarta’s Istiqlal Mosque, the largest in Southeast Asia, and were angered by the government’s request to television stations to temporarily halt the usual broadcasting of the azan (Islamic call to prayer) in favour of live coverage of the Pope’s visit.

Instead of airing the azan, television stations displayed a running text.

Pope Francis' four-nation tour

On Sunday, Pope Francis celebrated Mass in Papua New Guinea, honouring the Catholic Church's outreach to remote areas before heading to a secluded South Pacific nation with humanitarian aid and toys for the local faithful and missionaries, Associated Press reported.

Later, Francis flew into Vanimo, a remote area on Papua New Guinea’s northwest coast, to visit the small Catholic community served by missionaries from Argentina. He travelled with only his closest aides and security team, leaving the Vatican's full delegation in Port Moresby.

Francis’ visit to Vanimo was the key event of his trip to Papua New Guinea, marking the second leg of his four-nation tour across Southeast Asia and Oceania. After his initial stop in Indonesia, Francis will travel to East Timor on Monday and conclude his tour with a visit to Singapore later in the week.

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