Terror groups are behind a series of shootings of police officers in Jakarta and West Java in recent weeks, according to Ansyaad Mbai, head of Indonesia's National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT).

Police have arrested one alleged shooter and are searching for two more, he said. "The attackers are members of the Mujahideen group in Western and Eastern Indonesia," he told Khabar

Southeast Asia in a phone interview on September 26th.

Ansyaad and other terrorism experts see the incidents as the latest sign of a tactical shift among extremists. A robust crackdown on terror networks since the 2002 Bali bombing has forced their remnants underground. With key leaders slain or sent to jail, militant cells suffer from a shortage of leadership and funding.

As a result, terrorists are increasingly fragmented into smaller groups capable of small-scale attacks.

One such attack, on July 27th, targeted a traffic officer on duty in South Tangerang, near Jakarta; he survived after being shot in the chest. On August 7th, a police officer in Cilandak, South Jakarta was shot dead as he drove to a mosque at dawn.

On August 16th, two policemen were murdered at Pondek Aren police station in South Tangerang, near Jakarta. Then, on September 10th, gunmen on a motorcycle killed a police officer riding by Indonesia's anti-corruption agency in Jakarta.

The attacks came as police were working to secure the country for Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) summit, which ran from October 5th through 7th in Nusa Dua, Bali with many world leaders in attendance.

"Urban guerrilla warfare"

A former member of the police, Bambang Widodo Umar, said police may need additional help from the military to combat what he termed "urban guerrilla warfare".

"More and more attacks are aimed at killing Indonesian officials or police. Additionally, the terrorists' movement is unpredictable. They are conducting urban guerrilla warfare," Bambang told Khabar on September 22nd.

According to Bambang, the action conducted by terrorists in killing authorities is similar to that found in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Middle East. He said the officer killed on September 10th was shot four times in the head.

"I think only a professional can carry out this kind of shooting," he added.

"I hope our authorities will continue to beef up security everywhere and soon. We are responsible for hosting APEC," said I Gede Maknaputra, a Balinese living in Setiabudi, Central Jakarta.

According to Maknaputra, the police will need to address the shootings and identify what the public should do to prevent this from occurring in the future.

"The public needs to be educated as well," he added.