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Indonesia coordinates with Turkey to investigate arrested nationals planning to join IS

Xinhua, March 12, 2015 Adjust font size:

A team from Indonesian Embassy in Ankara has been assigned to coordinate with Turkish authority in investigating Indonesian nationals recently arrested along Turkish border with Syria, allegedly planning to join the Islamic State ( IS), an official said here Thursday.

Speaking at a press briefing, Indonesia Foreign Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arrmanatha Nasir confirmed that Turkish authority has arrested the 16 nationals reported missing in Turkey during a tour program. They were now under the custody of Turkish authority. "Those Indonesian nationals were detained after attempting to cross into Syrian territory. Under coordination with Turkish authority, our team will undertake further investigation to find out who they really are. It will be conducted this morning Turkey time,"Nasir said in the briefing.

Citing information the ministry obtained from Ankara, Nasir said that the 16 nationals were arrested in Turkey's province of Gaziantep recently. They came from three families, using the routes commonly used by militants planning to join IS radical group in Syria.

Those 16 nationals split from their tour entourage that departed from Indonesia shortly after they arrived in Attaturk airport on Feb. 24. They refused to take part in the tour program and could not be contacted since.

Indonesian Embassy in Ankara reported the alleged missing of its nationals to Turkish police which quickly responded to the report.

Indonesia has banned the IS ideology from developing in the country, warning to negate the citizenship of any of its nationals joining the radical group. Endi