Bandar Seri Begawan (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The authorities of the Sultanate of Brunei have arrested an Indonesian citizen who was traveling in the direction of Saudi Arabia, after finding bullets and an Islamic State (IS ) flag in the man’s luggage.
The confirmation comes from official sources in Jakarta, according to which the 63 year old Rustawi Tomo Kabul was stopped on May 2 - but the news only emerged today - while travelling to Brunei from Indonesia.
The Foreign Ministry in Jakarta reports that the man said he was traveling to Saudi Arabia to take part in a pilgrimage with a group of fellow citizens.
The spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir adds that "a man has been detained for carrying suspicious objects, including bullets and one that at first glance appeared to be a flag of the Islamic State". Sources tell the Indonesian daily Kompas that Rustawi Tomo Kabul was also carrying explosives.
The police has not yet explained how the man, from the East Java, managed to elude security controls at airports in Indonesia, although the material he was carrying was dangerous and prohibited. Two other people were detained, then released having proven they were unrelated to the incident; both were able to resume their journey to Saudi Arabia, to participate in the pilgrimage.
The trial of Rustawi Tomo Kabul is scheduled for 11 May.
Indonesia is the most populous Muslim nation in the world and, although most practice a moderate form of Islam, there is an ongoing battle against Islamic extremism, present in some sectors of society. As already reported by AsiaNews, Southeast Asian Islamic fundamentalist movements and leaders have found inspiration in the exploits of Sunni fighters and back their struggle for the creation of the Caliphate, which now branches out into various regions of Asia.
Extremist cells and recruiters are active as much in Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world, as in neighbouring Malaysia and the Philippines. Jihadists are operating in these countries, preparing attacks against pubs, discos and bars, dreaming of the Islamic caliphate.