Saudi Arabia News: King Salman Travels With 500 Tons Of Luggage To Fight ISIS In Indonesia

Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud packed over 500 tons of luggage for his upcoming trip to Indonesia this week, The Washington Post reported Monday. The Saudi monarch was scheduled to depart Wednesday for Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority nation, to sign a series of bilateral agreements including an anti-terrorism pact dedicated to fighting jihadists such as the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, according to Reuters.

As part of Salman's month-long Asia tour, his officials have begun transporting up to 506 tons of cargo to Indonesia, air freight service provider PT Jasa Angkasa Semesta told the Jakarta Post, which measured the weight in metric tons. The massive inventory, which the company said would require 572 workers to handle, reportedly included two Mercedes-Benz S600 limousines, which arrived Feb. 18, and two electric elevators, which arrived last Tuesday. Nearly 70 tons of cargo were set to arrive at the Halim Perdanakusuma airport in East Jakarta and the remaining 436 tons were arranged to be received at the Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar of the Bali province. In addition to the king's hefty shipments, the last of Salman's 620-person retinue was set to arrive in Indonesia Tuesday, followed by another group of 800 people anticipated to join the entourage.

Salman's nine-day "mega trip" would mark the first visit by a Saudi monarch to Indonesia in 46 years and Indonesian authorities have reportedly deployed up to 9,000 security personnel to ensure his safety. While the majority of Indonesia's Muslims following a moderate form of "Islam Nusantara" or "Islam of the Archipelago," a trend of Saudi Arabian-style, conservative Wahhabism has risen in recent years and militants, such as one potentially ISIS-linked bomber shot dead Wednesday in the West Java city of Bandung by security forces, have attempted to co-opt the nation's religious narrative.

Saudi Arabian and Indonesian officials reportedly hoped to establish lucrative oil and gas deals worth up to $25 billion.