Indonesia's police on alert over apparent ISIS terror threat to Borobudur Temple

The police in Central Java have tightened security measures at the Borobudur Temple in Magelang in response to an apparent threat made by Islamic State of Iraq and the Syria (ISIS) supporters to attack the world-renowned cultural heritage site.

National Police spokesman Ronny F. Sompie said on Friday that aside from tightening security around Borobudur, the Central Java Police had begun poring over data from the Internet for possible clues about the plan.

"The Central Java Police chief has ordered an investigation into the threat and we expect that there will be cooperation with the temple's security personnel and the Indonesian Military (TNI) to safeguard the temple from any possible damage," he said in Jakarta.

The threat to attack Borobudur appeared first on social networking platform Facebook on Aug 15 in an account titled "We Are Islamic State". "God willing, (Borobudur) will be demolished by Islamic caliphate mujahidin!" the web page declared.

It also quoted an article from a radical website, in which cleric Hartono Ahmad Jaiz derided several statue-construction projects in the country, which he said contravened Islamic principles.

It appears unlikely, however, that the website or Hartono are involved in the planning of a possible attack on Borobudur, as the website is known for its strong opposition to the ISIS movement.

Borobudur Conservation Agency head Marsis Sutopo said the agency had increased the number of security personnel within and around the temple following the news of the threat.

"We've increased the number of security officers and have coordinated with PT Taman Wisata Candi Borobudur (TWCB, which manages tourism activities at the temple) and the local police," he said on Friday in Magelang.

Earlier, the commander of the Diponegoro Military Command, Major-General Sunindyo, confirmed his preparedness to back up security around the temple.

Constructed in the ninth century, Borobudur is regarded as the world's largest Buddhist monument and one of the most complex structures erected during that period.

Borobudur was previously the target of a bombing attack.

In 1985, extremists detonated bombs that damaged nine of the stupas at Borobudur.

The police claimed that the attack was perpetrated by Muslim radicals Mohammad Jawad, Abdulkadir Ali Alhabsyi and his brother Husein Ali Alhabsyi. Jawad has never been captured.

A year after the bombing, Abdulkadir was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his involvement in the attack, while his brother Husein was sentenced to life in 1991.

In 1999, then President B.J. Habibie granted clemency for Husein.

In August 2013, security measures around Borobudur were significantly tightened following the bombing of the Buddhist Ekayana Graha Vihara in Jakarta.

Source - www.straitstimes.com