Suspected Indonesian militant Gigih Rahmat Dewa is the ringleader of a little-known local terror cell called Katibah GR, or “Cell GR”.
Indonesian police arrested him – along with his wife and baby – as well as five other cell members in raids on various locations on Batam Island yesterday.
Police said that besides having had plans “to launch a rocket from Batam to Marina Bay Singapore”, he was also said to have received and channelled funds for radical activities, and helped Indonesians make the trip to Syria, via Turkey, to fight with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants.
The 31-year-old Solo native is said to be working for an elec- tronics factory in Batam.
He has been living in a house belonging to his older brother on the island since 2011.
The family kept to themselves and did not attend community gatherings, a neighbour, Ms Sundari, told reporters yesterday.
She also said the police told her they have seized some items from his house, including “a bomb which has already been assembled”.
Five others arrested
• Trio Syafrido, 46, bank officer
• Eka Saputra, 35, factory worker
• Hadi Gusti Yanda, 20, factory worker
• Tarmidzi, 21, factory worker
• Muhammad Tegar Sucianto, 19, factory worker
This article was first published on August 6, 2016.
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