Women’s roles in terrorist networks in Indonesia have until now been dictated by their kinship ties through marriage, involving facilitating logistics and finance for terrorist acts. But there is a growing trend of women taking on combat roles.

Detachment 88, Indonesia’s police counter-terrorism unit, recently arrested three women who were allegedly involved in plotting to bomb the Indonesian State Palace. The women — Dian Yulia Novi, Arida Putri Maharani and Tutin Sugiarti — were a part of a Solo-based terrorist network under the coordination of Bahrun Naim, the man allegedly behind the 2016 Jakarta attacks.

A few days after their arrest, Detachment 88 also arrested Ika Puspitasari in a mosque near her home in Purworejo, Central Java.

Novi and Maharani are the wives of Muhammad Nur Solihin, who is believed to be the leader of the terror cell. Novi was responsible for preparing the planned suicide bombing at the Indonesian State Palace.

Maharani was aware of these preparations for the attack and had facilitated its funding. Sugiarti, interestingly, played a key role in radicalising Novi despite Novi being married to the group’s head. The last woman, Puspitasari, had prepared to conduct a suicide bombing in Bali on New Year’s Eve.

… Chaula Rininta Anindya is a research assistant with the Indonesia Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University.