REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, MEDAN -- The exchange of intelligence officials between Indonesia and Australia is expected to deter terrorism in the countries, according to North Sumatra University (USU) lecturer Prof. Dr Suhnaidi.
"Terrorism should not be allowed to develop in Indonesia and Australia as it could disturb security in the two countries," the lecturer on international law stated here on Thursday.
He noted that several terror acts that occurred of late are challenges not only to Indonesia and Australia but also to other countries in the world.
"Terror acts should not be allowed to occur regardless of how minor they are as such actions trigger unrest among the people. Terrorism must be eliminated," remarked Suhnaidi.
He affirmed that Indonesia should benefit from the cooperation between the two countries in the intelligence field.
"Indonesia should take into account this matter in its cooperation in the intelligence field with Australia to prevent dangerous acts of terrorism," he emphasized.
Suhnaidi pointed out that terror suspects intending to spread terror and commit unlawful acts were still at large in Indonesia. Fortunately, the police were able to foil their plans before they could commit acts of terror.
The group had also planned to conduct terrorist attacks at the end of 2015.
"The police and other apparatuses could fortunately anticipate the terrorist attacks in Indonesia," he stated.
National Police Chief General Badrodin Haiti confirmed on Wednesday that his men had arrested a suspected terrorist on the outskirts of eastern Jakarta in Bekasi earlier in the day.
"It is true that this morning we searched (the house of) one of the suspected terrorists who had planned to commit a terror act this month," he said after attending a coordination meeting at the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs' office.
As reported earlier, the National Police's Densus 88 counterterrorism squad had arrested a suspected terrorist identified by the initials AM in Bekasi.
AM is also believed to have links with suspected terrorists arrested in Sukaharjo, Central Java, and Tasikmalaya, West Java, on December 19-20.
"It is true they have links with the ISIS group in Syria," he remarked.
Haiti had earlier noted that the police had arrested nine suspected terrorists in the five districts of Cilacap, Tasikmalaya, Sukaharjo, Mojokerto, and Gresik on December 19-20. They are identified by the initials: R, YS, AR, ZA, MKH, TP, IM, JA, and AK.
"Some of them are former members of Jamaah Islamiyah, while others have links with the ISIS group," he claimed.
Haiti stated late last month that the police were informed of the planned terrorist attack.
"We also received information from the Australian Federal Police (AFP), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Singapore Intelligence Service (SIS). We then monitored the groups suspected of committing terror attacks and are registered in our database," he added.
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