Several individuals have been arrested in Indonesia on suspicion of planning to assassinate Pope Francis, according to the Indonesia magazine Tempo.
Indonesian counterterrorism special unit Detachment 88 (Densus 88) has arrested seven individuals following social media threats against Pope Francis. The seven suspects were found with ISIS paraphernalia and hail from various regions around Indonesia.
Suspects were arrested on September 2nd and 3rd following tips from concerned citizens. The police raided one of the suspects' home and uncovered bows, arrows, a drone, and ISIS leaflets the outlet reported.
One individual posted on the Bishop’s Conference of Indonesia’s YouTube channel, "I WILL BOMB THE POPE. I’M A TERRORIST. BE VIGILANT. WAIT FOR NEWS." Another suspect posted on TikTok "I’m at the (Presidential) Palace, going to shoot the Pope."
Colonel Aswin Siregar told the outlet, "We have a mechanism to monitor and filter. We had tip-off information from members of the public. 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," adding, "There was also a threat to set fire to the locations."
Reports indicated that the potential assassins were enraged that Indonesian TV stations were asked not to broadcast the usual Islamic call to prayer while they showed Pope Francis’ visit.
Francis has been in Indonesia since Tuesday on a visit to speak on religious intolerance of the primarily Muslim nation and met with the Grand Iman of the Istiglal Mosque in Jakarta on Thursday. The two leaders were said to have signed a joint declaration against violence and environmental destruction. Francis was the first Pope to visit Indonesia in 35 years.