“Indonesia Detains Seven Over Alleged Threats to Pope Francis”,
Indonesian authorities have arrested seven individuals for allegedly posting “terror threats” online targeting Pope Francis during his visit to Indonesia. The arrests announced on Friday, September 6, as the Pope continues his tour of the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation.
Police have not released detailed information about the suspects or the nature of the threats,
but they are investigating the incidents as part of broader security measures to ensure the Pope’s safety.
The 87-year-old pontiff made Southeast Asia’s biggest economy the first stop of an arduous Asia-Pacific tour, delivering a message of religious unity to counter extremism and intolerance.
The suspects arrested in cities around the capital Jakarta, and the provinces of West Sumatra and Bangka Belitung, Indonesia’s elite counter-terrorism unit Densus 88 spokesman Aswin Siregar told reporters.
They accused of posting statements and images online that threatened bomb attacks on the pope’s public meetings in Jakarta.
“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,” Aswin told reporters.
His schedule included visits to Southeast Asia’s biggest mosque, Jakarta’s cathedral, the presidential palace and the national football stadium.
The beliefs of the suspects not disclosed by authorities but Indonesia has long struggled with Islamist militancy
Bombings on the resort island of Bali in 2002 killed 202 people and the deadliest attacks in the country’s history.
A security detail of around 4,000 personnel, including snipers, soldiers, police and his security team, protected him before he departed for the rest of his trip in Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore.
