The Indonesian authorities said yesterday that a group of suspected militants arrested in a two-day raid across the country were linked to the Islamic State (IS) and were reportedly planning suicide bombings during Christmas and the New Year, as well as to attack minority Shia Muslims in Java and Sumatra.

Bomb-making materials, jihad manuals and a black flag with text similar to an IS flag were seized after the arrest of six men in central and west Java . Chemicals and weapons were found buried under a tree at one raid site in the city of Solo.

National Police Chief General Badrodin Haiti told the Jakarta Globe that the raids to round up the men, which began on Friday, were prompted by intelligence from the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Australian Federal Police.

… Commenting on the latest developments, Ms Stefanie Kam, associate research fellow at the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research in Singapore, told TODAY that the motivations for the planned attacks so far appear to be linked to a combination of factors. “These include the Indonesian police crackdown on suspected terrorists, and the perceived oppression and persecution of Muslims under the hands of the Shia community,” she said.