JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — An Indonesian official says the Muslim militant who wounded the country's security minister in a brazen knife attack has been under government surveillance for some time but police have not attempted to arrest him because there was no evidence that he posed an immediate threat.

National police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo says Syahril Alamsyah, who uses the nom de guerre Abu Rara, apparently feared that he and his militant wife would be arrested soon and decided to attack Minister Wiranto in the western Indonesian province of Banten on Thursday without even knowing who the top security official was.

Wiranto is in stable condition.

Prasetyo made the remarks Friday amid fears terrorism threats may be reemerging in the world's largest Muslim-majority nation, which has a history of bloody militant attacks.