The suspected terrorist attack on Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto will not change the way President Joko Widodo interacts with the people.
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JAKARTA, KOMPAS – President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo will not change his style of interaction with the public despite an attack on the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto. Meanwhile, the police will ensure that the attack on Wiranto will not disrupt the security procedure for the inauguration of the president and vice president–elect on 20 October.
"As usual, it will be the same. It’s fine to just take a selfie. So it remains the same. But the Paspampres [presidential security detail] will be even more vigilant because of yesterday\'s incident," said the President regarding his communication style at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Friday (11/10/2019).
During his working visits, the President usually interacts directly with the people. The President not only greets and shakes hands, but also often poses for selfies with people. In fact, on a number of occasions, the President has proactively approached the community.
Meanwhile, Wiranto\'s condition has started to improve after undergoing surgery at the Gatot Soebroto Army Central Hospital (RSPAD). Wiranto was attacked in the abdomen with a knife by sympathizers of Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), identified as SA, aka Abu Rara, and his wife, FA. Yesterday, a number of officials and political elites, such as President Jokowi and Gerindra Party chairman Prabowo Subianto, visited Wiranto at the Army Hospital.
After the attack on Wiranto, the police will evaluate security standards so that attacks on high state officials will not happen again in the future.
"We cannot limit state officials who want to interact directly with the community, to shake hands and take photos. Therefore, the security apparatus will increase vigilance to ensure the security of high state officials," said National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Dedi Prasetyo.
Dedi ensured that the inauguration of the president-elect and vice president-elect on 20 October would proceed without security problems. Around 27,000 members of the National Police and TNI will be deployed to secure the national agenda. "The TNI and Police are working as hard as possible to mitigate the potential threat in the series of activities," he said.
Previously, State Intelligence Agency (BIN) head Budi Gunawan, said that before the president and deputy president were inaugurated on 20 October 2019, BIN had detected the possibility of an attack from the JAD terrorist group. (Kompas, 11/10/2019)
Officials are targeted
Dedi revealed that Wiranto’s attacker, known as Abu Rara, was in fear and worried after the police arrested Abu Zee, the leader of the JAD terrorist cell in Bekasi, West Java, last September. "Out of fear and anxiety of being arrested, Abu Rara prepared himself for a terrorist act. His target was state officials and police officers," said Dedi.
In the past year, Abu Rara actively communicated with Abu Zee through social media. He even attended a Bekasi JAD member meeting led by Abu Zee.
However, Dedi continued, when Abu Zee along with eight of his followers conducted training in preparation for acts of terror on Mount Halimun in Bogor, Abu Rara did not participate. Therefore, the police’s Anti-terror Department did not yet have the authority to arrest Abu Rara.
The initiative to attack Wiranto, said Dedi, came from Abu Rara after seeing a helicopter descending and neighbors flocking to Menes Square. Abu Rara considered that moment the right time to carry out a terror attack even though he did not know the identity of the incoming state officials. "He asked his wife, FA, [to take part]. Abu Rara attacked the state officials, while he ordered FA to attack the police," said Dedi.
"The involvement of the wife and children is also an effective way to fool intelligence work."
According to Rakyan Adibrata, director of the International Association for Counterterrorism and Security Professionals in Indonesia, the (growing) role of women in a number of terrorist acts in Indonesia in the past year was due to a change in the position of women in terrorist groups. While in the era of Jemaah Islamiyah women only played a role in giving birth to a new generation of terrorists, during the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, women were given the freedom to be involved in acts of terror.
"The involvement of the wife and children is also an effective way to fool intelligence work. It will be more difficult for intelligence to anticipate family involvement because communication between them is carried out without technology," Rakyan said.
Behavior changes
The behavior of FA is believed to have changed since about three months ago. Kumayah, a neighbor of FA in Sitanggal village, Larangan district, Brebes, Central Java, said she was surprised at how FA seemed when she returned home three months ago. A cheerful and friendly FA had suddenly become closed and tended to avoid communication with others.
Rustini, FA\'s aunt, explained, her niece called her parents in mid-June 2019 to ask permission to get married. To her parents, FA introduced her future husband Abu Rara. However, FA\'s parents did not agree because they had never met him. After that, FA blocked the telephone numbers of all family members.
Alex, who was once a neighbor and colleague of Abu Rara, while living in Tanjung Mulia Hilir sub-district, Medan Deli district, Medan, North Sumatra, said Abu Rara was exposed to radicalism around 2010 through social media. He several times showed his communication with people in Iraq and Syria in English.