There has been an acceleration in the radicalization process from year to year, particularly through online radicalization that opens a door for lone-wolf terror acts,
The National Counter-Terrorism Agency (BNPT) and the Canadian government have enhanced their collaboration to address online radicalization threats, which have mushroomed in recent years.
“There has been an acceleration in the radicalization process from year to year, particularly through online radicalization that opens a door for lone-wolf terror acts,” BNPT’s deputy for international cooperation, Andhika Chrisnayudhanto, said in a statement on Wednesday.
At a joint working group on counter-terrorism cooperation between the Indonesian and Canadian authorities, the BNPT deputy observed that terror acts in the name of religion and ideology are an issue not only in Indonesia but also in several countries.
The development of digital information is one of the principal factors that have caused an acceleration in online radicalization, with terrorist groups exploiting the ever-connected Internet to spread propaganda and recruit, plan, and fund terror acts, he expounded.
Indonesia has been classified as a medium-impacted country, with several terror attacks recorded in the country in 2021, Chrisnayudhanto noted.
“Indonesia is on the 24th ranking among countries most affected by terrorism according to the 2022 Global Terrorism Index. Indonesia is classified as a medium-impacted country,” he said.
Acknowledging that terrorism has become a multi-national issue and has affected Indonesia and Canada, the two countries have reiterated their commitment to following up a bilateral memorandum of understanding signed last November, the BNPT deputy said.
Meanwhile, director general for Global Affairs Canada, Jennifer Loten, expressed the hope that bilateral cooperation with Indonesia would be the answer to facing terrorism at the national, regional, and global levels.
“I hope this will be a long-term cooperation,” she said.
She expressed confidence that the bilateral collaboration would benefit efforts to identify common and urgent issues, particularly in relation to terrorism in Indonesia, Canada, and the world.
