BNPT Confirms 5 Citizens Sanctioned by the US Over Links to Islamic State

TheIndonesia.id - The National Counterterrorism Agency, or BNPT, has confirmed that the United States has sanctioned five Indonesian citizens over their roles as “financial facilitators” for the Islamic State (IS).

Director of prevention at BNPT Ahmad Nurwahid said the US government had informed the government of Indonesia in advance before making the announcement public.

“The US government has previously communicated the inclusion [of Indonesians into the sanction list] to the Indonesian government,” Nurwahid revealed on Wednesday, May 11, as reported by Antara.

He also confirmed that the five Indonesians are all affiliated with the Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) network.

Previously, on Monday, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced the name of five Indonesian nationals who were imposed with sanctions over their roles in the IS.

“Today, Treasury has taken action to expose and disrupt an international facilitation network that has supported ISIS [Islamic State of Iraq and Syria] recruitment, including the recruitment of vulnerable children in Syria,” undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson said in a statement.

Dwi Dahlia Susanti, Rudi Heryadi, Ari Kardian, Muhammad Dandi Adhiguna, and Dini Ramadhani were all identified as financial facilitators for the IS.

Nurwahid said the Indonesian government will take the necessary action upon the announcement, in accordance to Law No. 9/2013 on the Prevention and Eradication of Terrorist Financing.

According to BNPT, Dwi Dahlia Susanti is still currently in Turkey, while Rudi Heryadi was deported from the country on September 27, 2019.

Furthermore, Ari Kardian was arrested in 2016 and has been released from prison. Muhammad Dandi Adhiguna reportedly acted as a facilitator to send fighters to Syria, and Dini Ramadhani is also expected to be in Turkey.