Indonesia detains alleged IS recruiters

Indonesian anti-terror police have arrested five men who allegedly arranged for a group of mostly women and children to try and enter Syria to join the Islamic State group, an official said.

The 11 children, four women and one man, detained in the Turkish border town of Gaziantep, are the latest example of Indonesians heading to battlegrounds in the Middle East.

In a series of raids in and around Jakarta on the weekend, elite anti-terror police rounded up the five men, who are suspected of helping the 16 people who were recently caught.

Four were charged specifically with helping arrange documents for the group to depart for Turkey, as well as previously helping another 21 Indonesians who went to join extremists.

One of the suspects faced a separate charge of urging people to join Islamic State on his website, as well as creating and uploading a video online of children being trained by the jihadists.

Police did not name any of the suspects.

They also confiscated items including nine mobile phones, eight million rupiah ($600) and $5,300 in US dollars.

The 16 recently arrested are still in detention in Turkey.

AFP