Hanoi (VNA) – Indonesian police have arrested 17 suspects relating to theso-called Islamic State (IS) after they were deported by Turkey due to concernsover their intention to enter Syria, said national police’s spokespersonRikwanto.

According to Rikwanto, the group, including several children, was arrested atJakarta International Airport from a flight departed from Istanbul.

There are signs showing they are relating to the IS, he said, addingauthorities are trying to find out who have recruited and funded the group.

The Turkishauthorities previously decided to bring these people back to Indonesia whensuspecting them of planning to enter the IS-controlled territory in Syria.

In recent years,hundreds of people from Indonesia, the country with the world’s largest Islamicpopulation, have arrived in the Middle East to join the IS, raising concernsover extremists to carry out attacks at home.

In 2016, a suicidebomb and gun attack in Jakarta killed eight people, including four attackers.That was the first time IS had admitted carrying out attacks in Southeast Asia,and the first big attack in Indonesia in the last seven years.

Recently,Indonesia functional forces captured many extremists who were accused offinding ways to Syria.-VNA