AFP tracking pro-IS pilots: report

AUSTRALIAN Federal Police are monitoring two Indonesian pilots who appear to have been influenced by pro-Islamic State elements, on concerns they may pose a security threat, an intelligence website says.
THE apparent radicalisation of Ridwan Agustin, alias Hobi Panahan, and Tommy Hendratno, alias Tomi Abu Alfatih, was detailed in a March 18 operational intelligence report compiled by the AFP and obtained by website The Intercept.
The AFP report - marked "for official use only" - analyses Facebook posts by the two pilots that appear to support IS. The Intercept reports that Agustin formerly worked for AirAsia Indonesia, while Premiair says Hendratno ceased working for them on June 1. Agustin graduated from the AirAsia academy in 2010 and flew international and domestic routes, the intelligence report states. He began posting material indicating his support for IS from September 2014 - posts which Hendratno "liked". The AFP also noted that Agustin had commented on the page of Heri Kustyanto, who it's believed left his Indonesian family to fight with IS in Syria or Iraq. At the time of the report, Agustin was active on Facebook as Hobi Panahan, was befriending radicals, and listed his current city as Raqqa, Syria. The AFP report says Hendratno, meanwhile, lives in Bogor, near Jakarta, and was a pilot for the Indonesian Navy before Garuda and Premiair. He had posted photos of trips around the world, including to Australia, but by December 2014 was posting pro-Islamic State material. His friends list included many military and commercial pilots. The report concluded that radicalised pilots were an obvious threat, "as witnessed by past global events" and noted that a recent edition of the al-Qaeda magazine had encouraged aviation attacks. Both men were trained pilots with contacts in the industry, it said. The AFP distributed the report to partners in Turkey, Jordan, London, the US and Europol, The Intercept reported. In a statement, the AFP said it did not comment on matters of intelligence. "The AFP maintains strong relationships with its domestic and foreign law enforcement partners to ensure the ongoing safety of Australians both within Australia and abroad," it said. The Intercept was initially created to report on documents provided by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. Indonesia's foreign ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir told reporters he'd made inquiries with security agencies to find out what they knew about the men. "Our security officers have the capability to monitor those who join radical teachings, but there are lots of them," he said. "This challenge is not only for Indonesia. It's a challenge faced by many countries. "We go back to the fact that co-operation between countries is important. We can help each other with information if there's one of our citizens or another citizen in Indonesia whom we assume has the potential to follow radical and dangerous teachings." Indonesian military spokesman Major General Fuad Basya said he hadn't yet verified the report. "When it comes from Australia, it becomes a question for us," he told Metro TV. "We don't just trust it."