Indonesia riots: police draw Islamic State links to deadly Jakarta protests that killed seven
- Protests against incumbent leader Joko Widodo’s poll victory had petered out by Thursday but authorities remained on high alert for new clashes fuelled by supporters of Widodo’s challenger, Prabowo Subianto
- There were curbs on WhatsApp and Facebook to prevent fake news and hoaxes, including accusations against ethnic Chinese, from inflaming tensions
Indonesian police on Thursday said members of an Islamic State-affiliated group had infiltrated into the mobs involved in violent protests that broke out in Jakarta this week.
National Police Spokesman Muhammad Iqbal told a press conference on Thursday that among 442 detained protesters, two were members of the radical Islamic Reform Movement (Garis), that had pledged loyalty to IS, and sent almost 200 Indonesians to Syria.
“They intended to carry out jihad during May 21 and 22 protests,” Iqbal said, adding that several hundred rioters had been arrested.
Seven deaths were confirmed, he said, stressing that police had not used live rounds, and “only rubber bullets, tear gas, shields and sticks” when facing the protesters.
Among those arrested was a woman who tried to breach the police barricade outside the elections monitoring body or Bawaslu on Wednesday night.
Dressed in a black niqab or face veil and carrying a black backpack, the woman refused to halt despite repeated police warnings. Officers then fired tear gas at her, prompting her to turn around and leave the scene. However, when the police checked her bag, they found only a Koran, mineral water and medicine.
