REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The three citizens arrested recently in Brunei were not involved in a terrorist network, Indonesia's Chief Security Minister Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno stated here on Thursday (7/5).
"According to data provided by the National Intelligence Agency (BIN), the three Indonesian citizens have no record of being involved in any radical network activities. Officers also did not find any material related to the ISIS or other radical group with them," he noted.
He explained that the BIN will coordinate with the government of Brunei Darussalam to solve the problem.
"We are thankful to the government of Brunei that has been very open to us," he emphasized.
The three Indonesian citizens, identified as Rustawi, Pantes Sastro, and Bibit Hariyanto, were arrested while on transit in Brunei after arriving aboard Royal Brunei from Juanda International Airport in Sidoarjo, East Java, on Saturday.
They planned to conduct minor hajj (Umrah) pilgrimage using the services of the Al-Aqsa travel bureau's office in Malang, East Java. They stopped in Brunei to board a flight to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
During checking, Brunei's airport security officers discovered items such as explosives in the suitcase carried by Pantes Sastro.
After all their items were checked, the officers discovered similar items along with four bullet rounds, knives, and scissors.
Minister Tedjo noted that the BIN had sent some personnel to Brunei Darussalam in connection with the incident to investigate their case and to unearth the motives behind carrying the items.
The East Java Provincial Police confirmed on Wednesday that the Brunei Police has banned an Indonesian citizen from leaving Brunei for Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah.
The Indonesian from Malang district has been subjected to this ban for allegedly carrying explosives.
"I received a report from Densus 88, the counterterrorism squad of the National Police (Polri), and the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) that a resident of Malang has been banned from leaving Brunei to perform Umrah (in Saudi Arabia) as he was found carrying explosives," Chief of the East Java Provincial Police Insp. Gen. Anas Yusuf remarked here on Wednesday.
The Malang resident, identified as Rustawi Tomo, was among the 69 Indonesian citizens who stayed in Brunei before they were scheduled to travel to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah.
"The other 68 pilgrims were allowed to fly to Jeddah aboard a Royal Brunei Airlines flight to perform Umrah. One pilgrim was subjected to a travel ban as he has to be questioned by the Brunei Police, the Densus 88 of the Polri, and the BNPT," Yusuf affirmed.
He added that the Brunei Police had planned to send a few officers to East Java on Friday (May 8) to conduct an in-depth investigation.
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