Inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. The Head of National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) Commissioner General Rycko Amelza Dahniel has announced a decrease in terrorist attacks in Indonesia.

"The ongoing efforts to prevent and counter violent extremism have demonstrated a positive trend, resulting in a decrease in the number of terror attacks in Indonesia from year to year," he said on Wednesday (5/7/23).

Based on data from the I-KHub BNPT Counter Terrorism and Violent Extremism Outlook, a total of 49 terror attacks were recorded in the country between 2018 and 2022.

In 2018, there were 19 recorded terror attacks, followed by 11 attacks in both 2019 and 2020, six attacks in 2021, and two attacks in 2022.

However, he compared this decrease trend to the tip of an iceberg, emphasizing that it merely represents what is visible on the surface. Hence, he urged everyone to avoid complacency and remain vigilant, particularly regarding the infiltration of terrorist movements into the lives of citizens.

"These groups are shifting their approach, transitioning from a hard to a soft approach, and from a bullet strategy to a ballot strategy," he said.

He stressed the significance of public awareness and collaboration among stakeholders in tackling violent extremism that leads to terrorism.

"We cannot confront the ideology of violent extremism alone," he concluded.

(ndt/pr/um)