Is Indonesia's Homegrown ISIS Recruiter Actually Dead?

How trustworthy is the Islamic State? The answer to this question will determine whether you believe that Bahrun Naim, perhaps the highest Indonesian militant in ISIS' ranks, is actually dead. ISIS-linked accounts on Telegram recently broadcast news that Bahrun was killed in an attack in Abu Hammam, a small town on the Iraqi border not too far from the Syrian city of Al-Bukamal, in late November. Someone in Indonesia took a screenshot of the death notice, shared it on WhatsApp, and before long the news was everywhere.

But the National Police weren't so quick to cross Bahrun's name off their list of known ISIS members. The police are waiting on an official confirmation from either Interpol or the Syrian police. "We need to find an accurate and official source of news, possibly from our counterparts overseas who have access there," Tito Karnavian, the chief of the National Police, told local media.

The issue here is that Bahrun isn't the first Southeast Asian militant to survive rumors of his own death. Salim Mubarok At Tamimi, of Pasuruan, East Java, reportedly died twice in Nov. of last year. Muhammad Wanndy Mohamed Jedi, of Malaysia, died in a drone strike, according to his wife, but then word broke that he was actually on the run after allegedly stealing some money from ISIS coffers.

Even when someone actually does die, as is likely the case with Bahrumsyah, a man selected to lead the Southeast Asian contingent of fighters, it's difficult to verify the information independently. Bahrumsyah reportedly died when his car bomb prematurely detonated during a battle in Palmyra against regime forces. But how can police officers in Indonesia verify the death of a man in the middle of a war zone more than 8,400 kilometers away?

Then there's the question of why Bahrun would even be in Abu Hammam. Unlike other Indonesian ISIS members, Bahrun wasn't exactly known as a fighter. He was instead believed to be an active recruiter, a man who spent much of his day online instead of fighting battles. Why would a recruiter need to be so close to the battlefield in the first place?

"The reports of Bahrun's death are still about 50/50," Ridlwan Habib, a terrorism expert at Universitas Indonesia, told VICE. "So the National Police need to be wary when responding to the news."

But others aren't so quick to doubt the claims of Bahrun's death. Sidney Jones, the director of the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) and one of the region's top terrorism experts, told VICE that reports of the deaths of ISIS fighters are typically true.

"There's no evidence of faked deaths among extremists before," she told VICE. "So I believe that the news is true."

The key difference between Bahrun's alleged death and the hoaxes of militants like Wanndy is the source. While Wanndy's death was first announced by his wife on social media, news of Bahrun's passing broke on an official ISIS Telegram channel.

If Bahrun is indeed dead, it would mark the passing of a man who has been a thorn in Indonesian anti-terrorism police's side for years. His successful attempt to join ISIS was a black mark on domestic counter-terrorism efforts after it broke that Bahrun had previously served two and a half years for planning a terrorist attack in Solo, Central Java, before vanishing overseas.

How Bahrun was able to escape the country, and the fact that he was able to rise from a small-time player with only one failed terrorist attack under his belt to the man tasked with bringing the fight to Southeast Asia, was seen as some as a failure by Indonesia's deradicalization efforts.

Before he entered prison, Bahrun was a young man whose main connections were to a group of street-level preman in Solo who had an interest in waging jihad. The gang, named Tim Hisbah, was just that, a gang who would stage raids on nightclubs during Ramadan and fight with the other gangs operating in the small Central Java city.

But Bahrun had allegedly been interested in joining a radical group since he joined up with Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia members and met some hardline preachers while attending class at Universitas Sebelas Maret, in Solo. His time behind bars seemed to do little to temper his views. Once he was out on the streets again, Bahrun made contact with ISIS members in Syria through social media and planned his escape.

His name surfaced again in the aftermath of the 2016 terrorist attack outside Sarinah mall, in Central Jakarta. Police initially said that the terrorists had received support and logistical advice from Bahrun over Telegram as they plotted the attack. But police later arrested Aman Abdurrahman, a hardline cleric, on accusations that he was actually the man behind the Sarinah attack.

So if Bahrun is actually dead, what kind of impact would it have on Indonesia's terrorist networks? These networks would likely be paralyzed, at least temporarily, as local militants lose access to their man in the Islamic State, explained Al Chaedar, a terrorism expert. These local networks would lose their ability to raise funds and recruit new members.

Bahrun might not have been a fearless fighter, but he was still an inspiring figure to budding jihadis, a man who spent much of his time convincing homegrown terrorists to follow through on their planned attacks. Dian Yulia Novi, a woman arrested for planning a suicide attack on the presidential palace, allegedly told investigators that she was in constant contact with Bahrun.

“The terrorist’s network in Indonesia would lose their direct contact with Syria,” Al Chaedar told VICE. “In the meantime, terrorist cells would try to establish a new contact with the Philippines militants post-Marawi.”

This is why the disruption might only be temporary. While Bahrun's name was mentioned in numerous high-profile terrorist plots, including a plan to attack the iconic Marina Bay Sands resort in Singapore, he hasn't been as active on Telegram or social media this year. A botched suicide attack on a police station in Solo that left only one person dead—the suicide bomber himself—was allegedly seen as such a spectacular failure that it was the source of ridicule in the jihadi community, according to one analysis by IPAC.

With his star already falling and other ISIS-linked militants making bigger gains in the southern Philippines, Bahrun importance in the ISIS hierarchy might have already lessened before his alleged death. Much of Bahrun's Tim Hisbah connections were already behind bars or dead, and he had been gone long enough to lose access to new connections in Indonesia.

So dead or not? An ISIS power player or a dud? It's hard to tell. But one thing is for sure, with plenty of Marawi militants allegedly still in hiding in the southern Philippines, the region's terrorism concerns aren't going anywhere. And if Bahrun is actually dead, it's only a matter of time before someone else tries to recapture the title "Asia's Osama Bin Laden."

“It’s hard to predict what’s gonna happen,” Al Chaedar said. “These days, it’s easy for militants to find someone willing to fund them.”