Police in Indonesia are warning about a new tactic that terrorists are using. It involves a shift in strategy and a new focus for law enforcement officials. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.
The newest factor in domestic terrorism in Indonesia may be the emerging role of women. The country’s chief of police says militant cells are now specifically recruiting women—calling that a new development.
Police say they’ve been unravelling one particular bombing plot that involves several women….including one who was to be used as a suicide bomber. The plan was to use a rice cooker that was converted to an explosive device…and hooked into a larger bomb. Law enforcement officials say the plans were for a woman to set off the device at the presidential palace in Jakarta.
Local media in Indonesia say this is the first time a woman has been arrested who was a potential suicide bomber….adding that she told police she was “inspired” by jihadist profiles she saw on social media. Investigators say the connections from this terror cell in Indonesia stretch to ISIS in the Middle East.
The female suspect was trained as a domestic worker in Malaysia, did similar work in Singapore, and was planning to continue that work in Hong Kong. Authorities are concerned about a potential strategic shift on the part of ISIS—which may now be targeting recruits among women who work overseas as domestic helpers.
