Around 3,800 Indonesian National Police personnel have been deployed in Bali to secure the resort island ahead of the 85th Interpol General Assembly, which is starting on Monday with police chiefs from 167 countries attending.
It is reported that hardline groups are worked up over the participation of a delegation from Israel. The police said they are preparing to deal with threats, including from Isis, during the second-biggest event after the UN General Assembly. The military has been put on high alert fearing possible attacks from outfits affiliated to the Islamic State terror group.
There have been reports that Israel is trying to prevent Palestine from joining the international police force. Jerusalem's diplomats have been lobbying member countries even as Palestinians were looking at the annual Interpol conference to push their case, the Times of Israel reported.
The Palestinian Authority news agency, Wafa, reported that the administration was trying to get countries to support its request for joining the international police network.
However, Israel fears the presence of Palestine in the network could cause a leak of sensitive information to terror groups in the territory.
In January, more than 4,000 radicalised Indonesians said they would help Hamas fight against Israel. Again, the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), which was in the news for the violent protest against Jakarta's Christian governor Ahok, had said it would mobilise support for the Hamas movement that rules the Gaza Strip.
"The Bali Police have been instructed to anticipate terror threats from ISIS-related groups or followers of Santoso," said Bali Police operational division head Adj. Sr. Comr. Wayan Sri on Sunday, as reported by The Jakarta Post. It is only recently that Isis started exerting increasing influence on extremist cells in the Muslim-majority country.
The event is expected to witness some 1,200 delegates from at least 167 countries who will discuss how to tackle threats posed by returning foreign terrorist fighters. The meeting will seek greater cooperation to contain the spread of Isis in the Asia Pacific Region.
National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar said that, as an initial move, they would seek greater cooperation with Middle East police force because as per reports Indonesian fighters returning from Iraq and Syria have masterminded a number of attacks in Indonesia.
Currently, there are around 300 Indonesian citizens fighting alongside Isis in the Middle East.
"We expect that we can bring those fighters home. For example, many Indonesians have become victims because of attacks carried out by Bahrun's groups in Indonesia. We brought home [TERRORIST]Umar Patek from Pakistan in the past, so we hope we can do the same with Bahrun," said the police officer as reported by the Straits Times.
He also said that Indonesia is looking forward to swiftly follow up on any red notices on terrorism by all Interpol member countries.
