Indonesian police find bomb-making stash for possible attack on nearby Singapore

Six men arrested on Friday alleged to have links to member of Islamic State

BATAM, Indonesia (Reuters) – Indonesian police found a stash of bomb-making materials after arresting six men suspected of planning a rocket attack on Singapore from a nearby island, a senior officer said on Saturday.

Police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar said a search was on for more members of a gang now believed to be part of a wider network taking instructions from a Syria-based Islamic State jihadist to launch attacks across Southeast Asia.

Singapore called for heightened vigilance a day after the suspected terrorists were rounded up. It said their plot to target the small island nation showed the city-state needed to defend its multiple points of entry.

The six were detained on Friday in dawn raids on Batam Island, about 15 km. south of Singapore, where police believe the men planned to fire the rockets from.

“There were no sophisticated arms confiscated, only bomb-making materials,” Amar said. Asked whether the initial investigation indicated other groups were planning similar attacks, he said “Yes, there still are.”

Singapore’s home affairs minister, K. Shanmugam, said the men had plans to hit Marina Bay, a popular entertainment area with a waterfront promenade, a giant Ferris wheel and a swanky casino resort. The Singapore Formula One Grand Prix is held annually on the streets of the Marina Bay neighborhood.

“This shows how our enemies are thinking of different ways of attacking us,” Shanmugam said in a Facebook post.

“Terrorists... will seek to come in through our checkpoints; they will also try to launch attacks from just outside. And this is in addition to lone wolf attacks from radicalized individuals and groups. We have to be extra vigilant.”

Batam is linked to Singapore by frequent ferries and its beach resorts and golf courses are a popular weekend getaway destination for Singaporeans, who will celebrate their independence on Tuesday.

Authorities identified the leader of the group arrested on Batam as Gigih Rahmat Dewa, who local media said was a 31-year-old factory worker from the Javanese city of Solo. Solo has been linked to several previous attacks by Islamists in Indonesia.

The group was suspected of having direct links to Bahrun Naim, an Indonesian who had lived in Solo but is now believed to be fighting with Islamic State in Syria.