Ika Puspitasari, a former Hong Kong maid, was suspected by Indonesian police in connection with the Medan bombing last week.

Indonesian national police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said on Tuesday that he had arrested 23 suspects involved in a suicide bombing outside the police headquarters of the city of Medan, North Sumatra province on November 13, prompting six to die. injured. Rabbial Muslim Nasution, suspected of conducting the bombing, is believed to have declared allegiance to the Islamic State (IS).

Ika Puspitasari, 38, was among the suspects involved in the attack. Puspitasari is imprisoned on charges of financing terrorist activities and planning to attack several cities. This woman worked as a maid in Hong Kong from 2004 to 2016, previously living in Malaysia between 1997 - 2002.

"We are continuing to investigate to determine if Ika plays a role in the bombing. Rabbial's wife recently contacted her," Indonesian anti-terrorist police sources said.

Dedi spokesman Rabbial and his wife are members of Jemaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), the radical Islamic group in Indonesia pledged allegiance to IS, responsible for all major terrorist incidents in the country. since 2016. Rabbial's wife and their religious advisor have been arrested.

Indonesian maids working abroad, particularly in developed regions such as Hong Kong or Taiwan, became IS recruiting targets because they were thought to be a potential "source of funding" for their income. stability. According to a 2017 report by the Institute for Conflict Policy Analysis (IPAC), an estimated 45 Indonesian maids have participated in pro-IS activities, such as sponsoring plane tickets to Syria or marrying online. Quan, during his time in Hong Kong.