Brunei arrests Indonesian with ‘ISIS flag, bullets’

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Brunei has arrested an Indonesian man en route to Saudi Arabia after authorities found bullets and what appeared to be an Islamic State (ISIS) group flag in his luggage, Indonesian officials said Thursday, May 7.

Rustawi Tomo Kabul, 63, was detained on Saturday in transit at Brunei airport after arriving from Indonesia, and claimed to be going on pilgrimage with a group from his home country, the foreign ministry in Jakarta said.

“The man was detained because of suspicious things found in his luggage, such as bullets and what looked similar to an ISIS flag,” said foreign ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir, using an alternative name for ISIS.

Indonesian newspaper Kompas reported that he was also carrying explosives.

Police were cited in the paper as saying that it was not clear how Kabul, from East Java, managed to pass undetected through airport security in Indonesia.

Kabul was initially detained with two others, who were subsequently released and allowed to continue their journey, foreign ministry official Lalu Muhamad Iqbal said.

The Indonesian is due to appear in court on May 11, he added.

Hundreds of Indonesians are feared to have headed to the Middle East to join ISIS, which has captured vast swathes of land in Iraq and Syria.

Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country and has long struggled with extremism, although most Indonesians practise a moderate form of Islam. – Rappler.com