Making of a terrorist: Small-town boy to IS hitman

Last encounter: Sulaiman discussing his brother Sunakim (below)’s fate as their grandmother Sumani looks on at their home in Desa Kalensari in West Java, Indonesia. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

JAKARTA: Ten days after Indonesian militants loyal to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (IS) attacked bystanders and policemen in the heart of Jakarta, questions hang over the radicalisation paths of the attackers.

The Sunday Times Indonesia bureau’s Francis Chan and Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja traced the journey of a small-town boy turned IS hitman.