New Year terror plot foiled: Indonesia cops

Indonesian police have foiled a major terror plot with the arrest of several men allegedly linked to a planned suicide bombing in Jakarta during New Year celebrations, according to documents seen Sunday.

During raids in several cities across Java island on Friday and Saturday, police arrested five members of an alleged extremist network and seized chemicals, laboratory equipment among others.

Those arrested included Asep Urip, a 31-year-old teacher at a boarding school in Central Java, and his 35-year-old pupil Zaenal, whom police allege was being "groomed" to carry out an imminent attack.

"From early information, it's known that Zaenal was a candidate for a suicide bombing in Jakarta to be conducted on New Year's 2016," stated police documents into the arrests seen by AFP.

One of those men, Iwan, had travelled to West Java this month with the intention of building a bomb, police allege.

A fifth man was arrested near the city of Semarang on Saturday, leading to a raid on his home where a wide array of suspect materials was seized including laboratory equipment, chemical textbooks, fertiliser, buckshot and spikes.

Police said the nationwide operation -- the largest of its kind in Indonesia for some time -- was targeting an organised terror cell.

"These arrests were carried out because of indications these men were involved in a terrorist network," police documents state.

The raids came just a month after Indonesia increased security at its airports after a threat was directed at one serving the capital Jakarta.