Oz beefs up consul security

– Australia’s consulate in the Indonesian city of Surabaya boosted security measures yesterday after a social media post urged militants to “kill” its officials there.

The nation’s department of foreign affairs updated its travel advisory yesterday, noting that Australian officials in Surabaya would not be attending an event at the Airlangga University in the city “due to heightened security concerns”.

Two security sources in Indonesia, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the elevated security threat related to a social media posting that urged Indonesians in Surabaya and East Java province to “kill these Australian officials”.

“Australia is a member of the international coalition against Islamic State which massacred thousands of Muslims. Revenge the blood of Muslims,” said the message, which was verified by officials as the source of concern.

One security source in Indonesia said the posting on the Telegram app, which later spread to other social media platforms, appeared to have originated in the Netherlands.

Australia opened the consulate in Surabaya earlier this month.

In May, a series of suicide bombings in Surabaya killed about 30 people, including the attackers. – Reuters

Jakarta