Local Editor

Indonesian media reported that police arrested Thursday three men with suspected links to the terrorist group "ISIS" as part of an operation in the province of Central Sulawesi to capture the country's most-wanted man.

The operation came as the US embassy in Jakarta issued an "emergency message" for American citizens warning of potential security threats at tourist beaches on the Lombok Island surrounding the New Year's celebrations.

Relatively, the country's counter-terrorism officials believe there are at least 1,000 sympathizers of the radical extremist group across Indonesia. More than a dozen suspects of planning bomb attacks over the holiday period were arrested in a series of raids recently, and the hunt is on for their ringleaders.

In the context, Central Sulawesi police chief Idham Azis informed: "This morning my team just reported that they had captured three more people."

However, Azis gave no details of the arrests or the identities of the men, but said they are thought to be linked to militant leader Santoso, who eluded capture for years and is holed up in jungles near Poso town in Central Sulawesi.

He further added that a hunt for Santoso and about 30 of his followers would conclude on January 9.

Moreover, analysts say that Santoso, the first Indonesian to publicly pledge loyalty to "ISIS," may be an inspiration for would-be extremists and militants returning from fighting with the group in Syria.

However, some believe there is a bigger threat closer to the capital, Jakarta, on the populous island of Java, where most of the recent arrests were made, and say militants could increasingly target Westerners.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team