10/27/2012

Indonesia: U.S. consulate targeted

A police officer carries belongings from the house of a suspected militant after a raid in Jakarta on Saturday.
A police officer carries belongings from the house of a suspected militant after a raid in Jakarta on Saturday.
  • Police find bomb-making materials and manuals in a series of raids, state media reported
  • 11 suspects are arrested by anti-terror police, state media reported
  • A U.S. Consulate General was allegedly among the targets
  • Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population

(CNN) -- Indonesian police arrested 11 people Saturday during a series of raids on a terrorist group that was plotting attacks on targets that included a U.S. Consulate in East Java, state media reported.

The suspects are believed to belong to a newly formed terrorist cell under the control of Hasmi, which stands for Harakat Sunni for Indonesia Community, National Police headquarters spokesman Inspector Gen. Suhardi Alius is quoted as saying, according to the official Antara news agency.

"Explosives have been found in the form of bombs or materials ready for use," the spokesman said.

Among its targets was the U.S. Consulate General in Surabaya, East Java, he added.

"We have seen the reports, but cannot comment as this is an ongoing Indonesian security investigation," said a U.S. State Department official who would not speak for attribution.

Police operations were carried out in Madiun, East Java, Solo in Central Java, Bogor in West Java and Palmerah, as well as Kebong Kacang in Jakarta, Antara reported.

In the locations, police discovered bomb-making materials and manuals, ammunition and detonators, the police spokesman said.

Indonesia, a Southeast Asian nation which is majority Sunni Muslim, has the largest Muslim population in the world.

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