In Indonesia, suspects who threatened Pope Francis were arrested, local police said

Shortly after Pope Francis left Indonesia, authorities there announced that they had arrested seven people for making “terrorist threats” against the pope on the Internet.

Aswin Siregar, spokesman for Densus 88, Indonesia's anti-terrorism police unit, made the announcement on September 6 as Pope Francis was en route to Papua New Guinea, the second stop on his four-country tour of Asia and the Pacific.

The Strait Times reported that the seven people were “arrested mainly on September 2 and 3 in Jakarta and the surrounding cities of Bogor and Bekasi in West Sumatra province and Bangka-Belitung province.”

Pope Francis visited Jakarta, Indonesia, from September 3 to 6, meeting with government and church leaders, attending an interfaith gathering at Southeast Asia's largest mosque, and celebrating Mass at a football stadium.

According to The Strait Times, Siregar told reporters that the ongoing investigation had not yet determined whether the seven arrested people knew each other or belonged to the same group.

During a search of the house of one of the suspects, “a bow and arrow, a drone and ISIS leaflets were found,” the newspaper reported, citing a source.

Over the past 25 years, hundreds of people have been killed in Indonesia in terrorist attacks attributed to groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS, mostly foreigners and tourists in targeted hotels and restaurants. In response, the government has increased security measures and strengthened its Ministry of Religious Affairs. The country's largest Muslim organizations have promoted interfaith dialogue and respect for other faiths.