Durian. Members of Indonesian Police’s anti-terror unit Detachment 88 have arrested Munarman, former human rights defender turned to spokesperson of banned organization Islamic Defenders’ Front (FPI) on Apr.27 due to terrorism allegations, a National Police spokesperson said in Jakarta.
Munarman used to chair Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBH) and Indonesian’s Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) before the advocate become legal representative, spokesperson and general secretary of FPI consecutively.
“The arrest was linked to allegation that M [Munarman] was involved in terrorism acts some times ago,” Chief Commissioner Ahmad Ramadhan, a spokesperson of the National Police said, adding that Munarman was caught at his resident in South Jakarta.
Ramadhan did not give details on precise terrorism event that Munarman was involved in, but an official information that was circulated among journalists on Apr.27 mentioned that he attended at least three separate events in 2014 and 2015 where FPI members took oath to be loyal to Abu Bakr Al Baqdadi, leader of Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) or popular as Islamic State (IS). Al Baqdadi died in 2019.
The police spokesperson said members of Detachment 88 also raided FPI office in West Jakarta following the arrest where they found some explosion materials that need to be examined further.
Munarman was taken for interrogation to Jakarta Police headquarters.
