Two Islamic militants who allegedly plotted to attack a red-light district and police posts in Surabaya have been arrested by Indonesian police at a petrol station yesterday. — AFP pic

SURABAYA, Jan 21 ― Indonesian police said today they have arrested two Islamic militants who allegedly plotted to attack a red-light district and police posts in the country’s second-biggest city.

Isnaini Ramdhoni and Abdul Majid were detained late yesterday at a petrol station in Surabaya, in the east of the main island of Java. Police later found two live pipe bombs packed with nails during a search of Majid’s house.

Their potential targets included police posts, the city’s huge red-light district and nightclubs, said national police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar.

East Java province police chief, Unggung Cahyono, said the pair were linked to a terror group on northern Sulawesi island, called the Eastern Indonesia Mujahideen, led by the country’s most wanted Islamic militant, Santoso.

Indonesia has waged a crackdown on Islamic militant networks over the past decade after attacks on Western targets, including the 2002 Bali bombings which killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists.

The crackdown has succeeded in dismantling groups seen as a major threat although small terror cells still exist. Recent attacks have largely been aimed at domestic security forces. ― AFP