Terror Networks Target Young Families

Two suicide bombers who attacked a church in Makassar, have been identified as a husband and wife. The Makassar bombing adds to the growing list of terror attacks perpetrated by families.

AFP/ INDRA ABRIYANTO

Indonesian forensic police examine the site after a suspected bomb exploded near a church in Makassar on March 28, 2021.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The ongoing investigation into a suicide bombing outside a Catholic church in Makassar, South Sulawesi, has strengthened the indication that terror networks are recruiting young families to carry out terror attacks.

The Makassar case shows that not only can terror networks manipulate the psychology of members of the younger generation who are searching for their own identities, but also there are problems with social cohesion.

L and YSF were married six months ago. The marriage was officiated by Rizaldi, who was a member of Jamaah Ansharut Daulah [JAD]

The two suicide bombers who attacked the Makassar church on Sunday (28/3/2021) have been identified as a husband and wife who only just got married. The husband has been identified as L and the wife as YSF.

“L and YSF were married six months ago. The marriage was officiated by Rizaldi, who was a member of Jamaah Ansharut Daulah [JAD],” National Police chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo said in Makassar on Monday (29/3).

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Rizaldi and his son-in-law, Zulfikar, were killed during a police raid in Villa Mutiara, Makassar, on Jan. 6. Rizaldi was involved in a suicide bombing targeting a church in Jolo, the Philippines, in 2019. His sibling was the perpetrator of the attack, while Rizaldi was reportedly among the financiers. Rizaldi often organized Islamic learning forums in his house, which were attended by L, among others.

KOMPAS/KRISTIAN OKA PRASETYADI

A police officer stands guard in front of the Holy Heart of Jesus Cathedral in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Monday (29/3/2021), the day after the suicide bombing on Palm Sunday celebration. Police have been assigned to guard churches in Makassar ahead of the Easter celebrations.

L himself lived in a densely populated area north of Makassar, specifically in Bontoala district. Nuraini, the head of neighborhood unit (RT) 001 and community unit (RW) 002, Bunga Ejaya subdistrict, Bontoala, said the news of L perpetrating a suicide bomb attack had surprised local residents. While he had not been very close with his neighbors, he was well-known.

“I often heard about him going to meetings,” Nuraini said.

Involving families

The violent episode in Makassar is not the first case in which a young couple or family was radicalized and involved in perpetrating bomb attacks. From May 2018 to Nov. 13 2019, there were five bomb attacks involving family members, including husbands and wives, as well as their children. Bomb attacks involving family members occurred in Surabaya, East Java, and Sibolga and Medan, North Sumatra.

National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) head Boy Rafli Amar said young families were particularly targeted by terror networks. Those who are 30 years old and younger are still relatively easy to be swayed and receptive to new teachings.

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Once they embrace a new teaching, they join the terror group and partake in the group’s planned operations. This was what happened during the Islamic learning forums held in Villa Mutiara.

“The process [of indoctrination] is subtle, through conversations and friends’ invitations such as the one in Villa Mutiara. Such a process could imperceptibly recruit new members,” explained Boy.

KOMPAS/KRISTIAN OKA PRASETYADI

A car that was wrecked due to a suicide bombing was still visible in front of the Holy Heart of Jesus Cathedral in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Monday (29/3/2021). At least 20 people were injured in the incident, while two terrorists were killed.

Noor Huda Ismail, a terrorism expert who is also a visiting fellow at the Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, said the phenomenon of husbands and wives perpetrating suicide bombings was very concerning.

“The aim of starting a family is largely to reproduce, yet this phenomenon shows that [reproduction] is no longer their objective. The irony is that they use religion as a pretext. Their belief is to strive for death, which is concerning as it slowly turns into some sort of cult,” Noor said.

The irony is that they use religion as a pretext.

The husband and wife involved in the Makassar bombing were also known as relatively young. It is likely that the two perpetrators were still figuring out their own identities and found their answers in JAD. Another aspect that must be scrutinized is the fact that they were local Makassar residents. Usually, terror perpetrators are outsiders who come from a faraway place, which is deemed ideal as the perpetrators would not be recognized by local residents in mounting terror attacks. The bomb attack in Makassar shows that there is a serious problem with social cohesion and the spread of deviant beliefs.

Series of raids

Following the bomb attack in Makassar, the National Police apprehended a number of suspected members of terror networks. In Makassar, four individuals, namely AS, SAS, MR and AA, have been arrested. They are members of the Islamic learning forums held in Villa Mutiara. Meanwhile in Condet, Jakarta, and Bekasi, West Java, the police have also apprehended ZA, 37; BS, 43; AJ, 46; and HH, 56.

Jakarta Police chief Gen. M. Fadil Imran said HH was a financier as well as mastermind who taught other members. HH reportedly sent a technical video on the construction of explosive materials to ZA, BS and AJ.

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From the raids of two locations, the police found, among other objects, five active bombs packed in cans and axles. The explosives found were made of triacetone triperoxide (TATP). The police also found five jars filled with chemicals weighing a total of 3.5 kilograms.

“[The chemicals] are estimated to be able to produce approximately 70 pipe bombs,” said Fadil.

The police are still investigating the link between the suspected terrorist in Condet and Bekasi as well as the suicide bombers in Makassar.

This article was translated by Astria Z. Nabila