(VOVworld) – The Indonesian police said Monday it has been put on full alert after uncovering suicide-bombing conspiracies in Jakarta and arresting many suspects reportedly relating to the Islamic State.

Children ride a bike past a house with police tape around it, following a raid by anti-terror police in Mojokerto, East Java, on Dec 20, 2015.(Photo: Reuters)

After a three-day hunt in the entire Java island, the police confiscated large amount of explosives and an IS flag and arrested 9 suspects. According to the collected documents, several among the arrested are associated with a suicide-bombing conspiracy in Jakarta on the New Year. Five of them have connections with the IS and four belong to the terrorist network Jemaah Islamiyah, the organization behind many major attacks in Indonesia. The extremists were targeting shopping malls, police stations, and minority groups across Indonesia.

Other security officials said nearly 150,000 police and military officers would be dispatched to guard important sites between December 24, 2015 and January 2, 2016.