Indonesia: Police Kill Bomb Suspect Linked to IS

Indonesian police shot dead a suspected militant believed to have links to the Islamic State (IS) after allegedly he blew up a bomb in a park in the West Java city of Bandung on Monday.

Yayat Cahyadi, 42, was killed during a shootout in a government office where he tried to escape after detonating a pressure cooker bomb at the nearby public park, police said.

National Police Chief Gen. Tito Karnavian linked Yayat to Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), an Indonesian militant organization that has pledged support to IS.

“[We see] an alleged link to JAD because the perpetrator said the bomb was for his friends who were arrested by Densus 88 to be released,” Tito told Tribunnews, referring to the national police’s elite counter-terrorist squad.

National Police spokesman Martinus Sitompul did not elaborate on the JAD link.

“So far, what we know is he acted by himself,” Martinus told BenarNews, responding to a question about Yayat’s statement about his friends.

“That was the information from the community. He threatened the people, said he had business with the Densus 88 and not with the people there,” Martinus said.

Two suspects?

No one was injured but many were startled when Yayat’s pressure cooker bomb exploded in Pandawa Park, the police spokesman said. He tried to escape from a crowd chasing him by running into the nearby village office.

Yayat, who had another bomb in his backpack, did not take any hostages, although police said a second suspect escaped from the building. Martinus gave no details about this other person.

“We are still investigating,” Martinus said. “Based on witnesses’ information, there are two persons, but only one perpetrator is known.”

According to West Java Police spokesman Yusri Yunus, officers tried to persuade Yayat to surrender, but he set fire to the second floor of the building and threw the pressure cooker-bomb at police.

“That bomb almost hit the Bandung police chief,” Yusri told BenarNews. “If he had surrendered, he would be alive.”

Jailed previously

Martinus said Yayat was familiar to investigators of terror networks in Indonesia. He was jailed from 2012 to 2015 for connections to military-style training in Aceh in 2010.

His death adds to the list of JAD sympathizers killed over alleged ties to terrorism.

In October 2016, Sultan Azianzah, a JAD sympathizer stabbed three police officers with a knife in a station in Tangerang, Banten, a city about 88 km (55 miles) from Jakarta. Sultan, who was killed by police, brought two pipe bombs that did not explode.

Ridlwan Habib, a terrorism analyst at the University of Indonesia, said he suspected that Yayat tried to strike fear in the community ahead of a nine-day visit by Saudi King Salman beginning Wednesday.

“In an effort to cancel the visit, the atmosphere of fear was created,” Ridlwan told BenarNews.

Muradi, an analyst at West Java’s Padjajaran University, agreed. IS is known for disliking Saudi Arabia under the administration of King Salman, Muradi said.

“So, terror is created, this could be to warn King Salman not to come,” Muradi said.

Police denied any possible links to the royal visit, and government officials said plans around the king’s stay in Indonesia have not changed.