JAKARTA, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian police's anti-terror squad Densus 88 killed and arrested dozens of people involved in terrorism activities in massive hunting in several parts of the country in the last few days, according to the police.
The squad swiftly launched operations to hunt down more terrorists in West Java, Central Java, Banten and Lampung provinces following the recent arrest of a person linked to a terrorist group in Jakarta who allegedly was planning an attack against Myanmar embassy due to violence against minority Muslim ethnic of Rohingya in Myanmar.
In West Java province's Bandung regency, the anti-terror squad involved in shootouts with terrorists that lasted for more than nine hours on Wednesday, arresting one terrorist and killing three others. Police found bombs assembled in pipes and assault guns in the house of slain terrorists after the raid.
The hunting against terrorist group members linked to the one paralyzed by the squad in Bandung regency was continued in Kebumen and Kendal in Central Java province. The squad members killed a terrorist and arrested two others in Batang, Kendal regency.
Meanwhile in Kebumen Central Java, police killed three terrorists and arrested four others in a crackdown on a house used by the terrorist as hideout on Thursday. Meanwhile, the anti- terror squad also arrested four suspected terrorists in Pondok Aren, Ciputat, Serpong and Tangerang in Banten province.
The latest arrest was conducted by the anti-terror force against four terrorists on Friday morning in Lampung province, Sumatra. Police said that those arrested in Lampung were linked to the ones arrested in Kebumen.
Indonesian police headquarters Spokesperson Boy Rafli Amar said that the terrorists recently killed and arrested by anti-terror squad were members of a well-organized terrorist group. They were skilled in using guns, assembling explosives and gathering funds to finance their operations.
Boy said they had robbed several banks including state banks BRI in Lampung, Batang and Grobogan, and seized hundreds of millions of rupiah in each bank they robbed.
"They were linked to Santoso from Poso who is now still at large," Boy said at police headquarters on Thursday.
Santoso is senior figure of a terrorist group which actively conducted lawless acts in Poso, Central Sulawesi province that used to be a hotbed of sectarian conflict. Santoso led a militant Muslim group who fought against Christian group during the conflict that occurred in 2000.
His group was held responsible for the killing of and shooting against police in Poso last year.
More than a decade after the Bali bombing that claimed the lives of more than 200 foreigners and locals in 2002, Indonesia is still struggling to quell terrorism.
According to earlier investigation by the police in the arrested terrorists, the terrorists aimed to establish a Muslim country in Indonesia which has the world's largest Muslim population.
To meet their cause, terrorist groups already had several plans to topple down the existing government through violent actions, including killing senior state officials.
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