Indonesian police arrest 3 suspected Jemaah Islamiyah militants during raid in Aceh

Indonesian police arrest 3 militants in Aceh raid

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia — Indonesian police arrested three suspected Islamist militants Thursday as part of an ongoing crackdown in restive Aceh province.

The arrests occurred at a house in Saree village, bringing to seven the total number of terrorist suspects detained this week, district police chief Lt. Col. Agus Susanto said. Police also recovered three rifles in the raid.

Four men were arrested Monday when more than 100 police officers raided a suspected paramilitary training camp for the Southeast Asian terrorist network Jemaah Islamiyah. Police say 50 armed militants fled into the jungle after an hour-long gunbattle.

Information gleaned from the first group arrested led police to the house Thursday, Susanto said.

Terrorist suspects can be held for a week without charge under Indonesia’s tough anti-terrorism laws.

Police said they suspect the militants are part of the first-ever Jemaah Islamiyah cell in Aceh. The al-Qaida-linked group has been blamed for a number of bloody attacks, including a 2002 bombing on the resort island of Bali that killed 202 people.