Indonesian police kill 2 militants during raid on house in Java

JAKARTA: Indonesian police killed two suspected militants in a house in West Java on Sunday, a police spokesman said, in the latest in a series of raids aimed at preventing planned attacks in nation.

Two men had been arrested in Cibinong, in West Java, and led police to a house nearby, at the Jatiluhur dam, where two other men were found, national police spokesman Awi Setiyono said.

“They were told to surrender, but they refused and tried to attack officers with machetes, so we fired warning shots. When they still approached, we shot them,” Setiyono said.

He earlier said that a gunbattle had occurred. Police seized some weapons and a letter which said the group had planned an attack at an undisclosed location on New Year’s Eve, West Java police spokesman Yusri Yunus told Metro TV.

A police bomb squad was still scanning the area for any explosives, Yunus said.

Earlier this week, Indonesian antiterrorism police killed three suspects in a gunbattle on the outskirts of the capital Jakarta, and said they had foiled a suicide bombing planned for the end of the year.

Police have arrested dozens of suspected militants in recent months, including a cell on Batam island that planned a rocket attack on neighbouring Singapore.

Indonesia has foiled at least 14 attacks this year alone and made more than 150 arrests.