Jakarta: Indonesia's anti-terrorism squad has shot dead three suspected terrorists and arrested 15 others during tense raids in which some of the suspects used women and children as human shields, police said.
Police Chief Gen Bambang Hendarso Danuri said on Monday the men were wanted for a series of armed robberies on banks and money-changers that had netted more than USD 127,000 since April to buy weapons and finance acts of terror.
Details about the weekend raids, which took place in five locations on Sumatra island, did not emerge until the chief arrived at the scene to debrief officials, who had provided conflicting accounts about the suspects and the nature of their crimes.
The US-trained anti-terror unit in charge of the operations has been criticised in recent months for its high kill-to-capture ratio, one to four, with officers sometimes shooting even unarmed suspects before they had been properly identified.
Danuri said the raids occurred in a blaze of gunfire, with suspects in some cases using women and children as human shields.
Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, has been hit by a string of terrorist attacks since 2002, when Jemaah Islamiyah militants targeted two crowded nightclubs on
the resort island of Bali, killing 202 people.
Attacks on hotels, embassies and restaurants since then have killed another 60 people.
Just as the country was enjoying a lull in bombings, thanks in part to the arrest and convictions of hundreds of militants, authorities in February discovered a new cell on
Sumatra, Jemaah Ansharut Tauhid.
Danuri said those arrested over the weekend acknowledged to belonging to Al-Qaida, Jemaah Islamiyah or JAT.
Several weapons were seized in the raids, including an FN-45 rifle and 1.5 kilograms of TNT, which was ready to be assembled into a bomb, Danuri added.
Police Chief Gen Bambang Hendarso Danuri said on Monday the men were wanted for a series of armed robberies on banks and money-changers that had netted more than USD 127,000 since April to buy weapons and finance acts of terror.
Details about the weekend raids, which took place in five locations on Sumatra island, did not emerge until the chief arrived at the scene to debrief officials, who had provided conflicting accounts about the suspects and the nature of their crimes.
The US-trained anti-terror unit in charge of the operations has been criticised in recent months for its high kill-to-capture ratio, one to four, with officers sometimes shooting even unarmed suspects before they had been properly identified.
Danuri said the raids occurred in a blaze of gunfire, with suspects in some cases using women and children as human shields.
Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, has been hit by a string of terrorist attacks since 2002, when Jemaah Islamiyah militants targeted two crowded nightclubs on
the resort island of Bali, killing 202 people.
Attacks on hotels, embassies and restaurants since then have killed another 60 people.
Just as the country was enjoying a lull in bombings, thanks in part to the arrest and convictions of hundreds of militants, authorities in February discovered a new cell on
Sumatra, Jemaah Ansharut Tauhid.
Danuri said those arrested over the weekend acknowledged to belonging to Al-Qaida, Jemaah Islamiyah or JAT.
Several weapons were seized in the raids, including an FN-45 rifle and 1.5 kilograms of TNT, which was ready to be assembled into a bomb, Danuri added.
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