Jakarta (VNA) – An Indonesian court on February 9 sentenced seven men to between three and five years in jail for supporting the Islamic State (IS), as the Southeast Asian country is conducting a national operation against IS supporters.
The defendants were convicted of crimes, including undertaking military training with IS, propagating extremist ideology and raising funds to help Indonesians travel to Syria where the terrorist group is based.
The Indonesian government is currently reviewing its anti-terrorism laws in an attempt to deter terrorist threats and keep its citizens from joining militant organisations.
The country has been on high alert since a series of bomb and gun attacks in the capital city of Jakarta on January 14 killed eight people and injured 20 others.
The incident stamped the presence of IS in the region for the first time.
In the past two months, anti-terrorist police in Indonesia have arrested around 50 people for having suspected links with the Jakarta attacks.-VNA