REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Muslim Cyber Army (MCA) has been politically motivated in spreading hoaxes and labels through social media, police said. Chairman of the Nusantara Task Force police Ins. Gen. Gatot Eddy Pramono said MCA spread false news containing labels, hate speech and attacks on religious leaders to create rift.

"The motive is political. By spreading hoaxes, they hope to degrade the government, trigger public unrest, split the nation and ultimately create big social conflict," Gatot, an expert staff of the police chief for social economy, said here on Monday.

Earlier, a team of cyber researcher of the police criminal researcher (Bareskrim) rounded up six members of MCA from different locations including Muhammad Luth (40), arrested in Tanjung Priok, Rizki Surya Dharma (35) from Pangkalpinang; Ramdani Saputra (39) from Bali; Yuspiadin (25) from Sumedang; Ronny Sutrisno (40) and Tara Arsih Wijayani (40).

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Director of Cyber Crime of the Bareskrim Brig.Gen. Fadil Imran said the group has regularly spread video photos and false news containing insults, labels with targets state leaders and officials.

"They regularly posted words of insults on President Joko Widodo, police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian, and other state officials," Fadil said.

They often posted false report of SARA (about sensitive race, religious and ethnic issues) in social media such as attacks on religious leaders and revival of the defunct Communist party PKI to provoke social conflicts, he added.

Police said they suspect there was political power behind MCA pursuing delegitimation of the president ahead of the presidential elections in 2019.

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