Indonesian authorities have thwarted a planned terrorist attack near Jakarta. (AP)
Two suspected terrorists were killed and six others were detained during weekend raids in Indonesia aimed at thwarting a potential terror attack, according to a report.
Police said the ISIS-linked group was planning an attack on a crowd later this month. One of the suspected terrorists was shot and killed by Indonesia’s anti-terrorism squad, Special Detachment 88, while the other died after blowing himself up to avoid capture near Jakarta in a separate incident, Reuters reported.
Authorities said the six arrested were linked to the radical Islamist group Jemaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), which is the largest ISIS-affiliated group in Indonesia. The group was disbanded last year for terrorist activities and its affiliation with ISIS, Reuters reported.
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A police spokesman said the group was planning an attack on a large crowd later this month that is tied to Indonesia’s recent contested election.
“They were planning to take police firearms and use them to commit terrorism, whether by becoming suicide bombers or performing other attacks that could be fatal for protesters,” the spokesman said.