Indonesian govt not caught off guard

Indonesias Chief Security Minister Luhut Panjaitan reiterated here on Friday that the government was not caught off guard. He was speaking in context of the bomb attacks in Jakarta on Thursday.

"I reiterate (that we are not caught off guard). Please never say such a thing because it is not as if we never anticipated such a thing. In fact, we had already predicted (that such a thing can happen)," he said after visiting the injured being treated at the Cipto Mangunkusumo hospital.

He said although such an attack can be anticipated, the government would never know when and where exactly it would be carried out.

Luhut said the attack could have happened because of the sloppiness of one or more of the stakeholders.

He said, "Something similar had earlier happened in Paris, Mumbai, Britain and New York and (we knew that) a similar attack could also happen here. Therefore, we are now focusing on dealing with the issue so that a similar recurrence in the future can be prevented."

National police chief General Badrodin Haiti said the attack had links with Bahrun Naim who is a member of the ISIS network.

"We will track down anyone linked or involved in the terror attack. Since last night, raids have been carried out in a number of cities," he said.

He said the perpetrators had targeted police leadership, including the chief of the polices anti-terrorist squad Densus 88 as well as police personnel on the ground.

Badrodin said the police has now increased security at business centers and other vital sites following the incident.

The secretary general of the Nahdlatul Ulama organization, Faishal Zaini, has urged the president to move fast to evaluate the role and responsibilities of the intelligence agencies.

"We have been caught off guard. Such incidents may happen in the future, too, unless we do move fast. The government must always stand by and protect the citizens and ensure peaceful living," he said.

Seven people were killed in the terror attack, including five of the suicide bombers, a Canadian national and an Indonesian civilian, in the attack on Thursday.

Twenty people, including five police officers, were injured.

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has condemned the bomb attacks targeting the Thamrin Boulevard in Central Jakarta and has ordered the police to arrest the perpetrators.

"I have ordered the National Police chief and the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs to track down and arrest the suspects, not only those who actually carried out the attack but also other members of terror networks," President Jokowi said.

He affirmed that terror attacks would never be able to trigger a sense of fear or defeat among Indonesians and appealed to the public to remain calm.

President Joko Widodo inspected the area on Friday in a move to assure the people that the situation is returning to normal.
Source: ANTARA