ISIS, Jihad and Indonesian Law: Legal Impacts of the January 2016 Jakarta Terrorist Attacks

A terrorist attack in Jalan Thamrin Central Jakarta on 14 January 2016, killed eight people, including the four attackers, and injured over 20 others. While the attack was amateurish and failed to achieve the mass casualties no doubt sought by the planners, it successfully garnered considerable media coverage and galvanised Indonesia’s policy and law makers to act on revisions to the country’s anti-terrorism laws. The paper discusses the attack itself, which reveals aspects of current terrorist strategies, transnational planning, funding and communications, and links to ISIS. It argues that the attack illustrates weaknesses in Indonesia’s treatment of convicted terrorists, notably in sentencing, corrections and rehabilitation. The paper then discusses the role of the media and securitization theory to explain the timing and momentum for law reform. It concludes with a discussion of likely revisions to the terrorism laws, including possible significantly increased police powers and a potential role for the Indonesian military in counter-terrorism operations unprecedented in the post-reformasi era.