Ambon, Maluku (ANTARA News) - Four students in the Maluku provincial capital of Ambon have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) movement, Governor Said Assagaff confirmed.

"Last night, security agencies informed me that four students have been arrested for their alleged role in the ISIS movement. They have to undergo intensive questioning to uncover the extent to which they have been involved or have played a role," he stated here on Monday.

The governor expressed concern about the fact that three of the students were still studying in senior high school and one in junior high school.

"The junior high school student is still young, so he is vulnerable to instigation. Therefore, he must be handled seriously for fear of him becoming an embryo of the ISIS," he emphasized.

Assagaff viewed the alleged involvement of the four students as a matter of grave concern and termed them as "seeds." Hence, he believed that that the local authorities must anticipate the possibility of the ISIS spreading its influence in the province.

The Maluku waters comprise 92.4 percent of its 712,479.65 square-kilometer territory that can serve as several entry and exit points in the province, which consists of 1,340 islands, he pointed out.

"Let us refer the investigation of the four students to the security agencies that have the authority to decide whether or not they have been involved with the ISIS," he added.

(S012/INE)
Reporting by Alex Sariwating
EDITED BY INE
(T.SYS/B/KR-BSR/F001)

Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
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