Seven suspects believed to be inspired by the Islamic State (ISIS) were arrested for plotting to assassinate Pope Francis during his recent visit to Southeast Asian nations.
The scheme would have seen the pope targeted during the Indonesia leg of his 12-day tour to the Asia-Pacific. The suspects were arrested on Sept. 2 and 3 after police were tipped off by concerned citizens. The police raided one of the suspects' house and discovered a bow and arrows, a drone and pro-ISIS leaflets.
The terrorists were reportedly angered after Pope Francis showed up at the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, the largest mosque in the country, and by the fact that the government asked TV stations to not broadcast the common Islamic call to prayer while they displayed Pope Francis' visit as a sign of respect.
Col. Aswin Siregar, a spokesperson for the Indonesian National Police's specialist counterterrorism unit Densus 88, noted that the jihadists were discovered after broadcasting threats against the pope on social media.
Siregar told media that investigations are still in progress, and it has not yet been established whether the seven detainees know each other or are members of the same terror cell.
"We have a mechanism to monitor and filter. We had tip-off information from members of the public," Aswin said. "Densus 88 has taken legal action against seven individuals … who made threats in the form of propaganda or terror threats via social media in response to the Pope's arrival. There was also a threat to set fire to the locations."
Aswin added that a search of one of the suspect's houses revealed that at least some of the suspects had pledged their allegiances to ISIS.
"One of the arrested is a militant who belongs to the same terror group that attacked Wiranto," Aswin stated, referring to Indonesia's former Chief Security Minister Wiranto, who was stabbed in 2019 by two terrorists affiliated with the local ISIS-linked militant group Jamaah Ansharut Daulah.
Pope Francis denounces religious extremism, calls for dialogue between faiths
The 87-year-old Pope Francis is visiting Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore over his 12-day tour. The leader of the Catholic Church is confined to a wheelchair after suffering health issues over the past years.
During a short visit to the presidential palace in Jakarta, Pope Francis used the opportunity to denounce religious extremism.
"There are times when faith can be manipulated to foment divisions and increase hatred," said Pope Francis, adding that religious differences need to be talked out by stating that "prejudices can be eliminated, and a climate of mutual respect and trust can grow."
Indonesia has the biggest Muslim population in the world. It has battled against religious extremist-motivated terrorist attacks for decades – a fight that has been characterized by prominent attacks, including the aforementioned stabbing against Wiranto, the 2002 Bali bombings that killed over 200 people and the 2009 Jakarta bombings that killed and injured dozens. (Related: ISIS takes credit for fatal shooting during Catholic Mass in Istanbul.)
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