110 INDONESIAN CHILDREN EXPOSED TO ONLINE RADICALISATION, POLICE SAY

JAKARTA, Nov 20 (Bernama) -- About 110 children in Indonesia have been exposed to radical ideology through online recruitment by extremist groups, a steep rise from only 17 cases between 2011 and 2017, the country's counter-terrorism unit Densus 88 said.

Spokesperson Adjunct Senior Commissioner Mayndra Eka Wardhana said all recruitment took place online, with victims aged 10 to 18 identified in 23 provinces, mostly in West Java and Jakarta. The recruiters generally do not know one another.

"We're seeing an unusual year-on-year spike, indicating a large-scale recruitment drive through online media," he said in a statement on Thursday, adding that other regions should not be considered safe as investigations continue.

Mayndra said early propaganda was spread through open platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and online games, which promote utopian narratives that appeal to children's fantasies before luring them into private groups where indoctrination occurs.

National Police spokesperson Brigadier General Trunoyudo Wisnu Andiko said children's vulnerability was driven by a mix of social pressures, including bullying, broken homes, lack of family attention, identity seeking, social marginalisation, and low levels of digital literacy and religious understanding.

He revealed that Densus 88 has detained five alleged recruiters accused of managing the group’s communications on social media and influencing children to join extremist networks and encourage acts of terror.

The suspects, aged between 18 and 47, were arrested in Medan (North Sumatra), Banggai (Central Sulawesi), Sleman (Yogyakarta), Tegal (Central Java), and Agam (West Sumatra).

One of them had planned an attack targeting the House of Representatives building, but police did not provide further details.

Densus 88, otherwise known by its full name Counterterrorism Special Detachment 88 (Indonesian: Detasemen Khusus 88 Antiteror), is an Indonesian National Police counter-terrorism squad formed on June 30, 2003, after the 2002 Bali bombings.

-- BERNAMA