The Indonesian Mujahedin Council (MMI), led by radical cleric Abu Bakar Bashir who has served a jail sentence over his role in the 2002 Bali bombing, already had 500 members willing to go, it said.

“We are opening registration in Jakarta today (Tuesday),” deputy MMI chairman Irfan Suryahadi Awwas told AFP.

“Each of our 50 chapters have readied at least 10 volunteering members,” Hari Samir Fallah, a worker at the MMI’s Jakarta chapter where the registration is to be held, added.

But national police deputy spokesman Anton Bahrul Alam said any would-be fighters from Indonesia would not be going anywhere.

“We can and will prevent them from leaving,” he told AFP.

“Their departure for the Middle East would be a violation of our state consitution, which says that Indonesia should pro-actively contribute to world peace.

“The volunteers’ departure to fight is certainly not contributing to peace and therefore is a violation of the constitution.”

MMI spokesman, Fauzan Al Anshori, said that the volunteers faced financial constraints in travelling abroad anyway, with each needing some 15 million rupiah (1,648 dollars) to go, the Detikcom online news service reported.

Anshori, who could not be reached for comment, was also quoted as saying that the fighters would be sent to Lebanon and the Palestinian territories.

Another militant group, the Front for the Defenders of Islam (FPI), meanwhile planned to send five fighters to the Middle East through Malaysia on Wednesday, the Koran Tempo daily reported.

The newspaper quoted a coordinator for the operation, Abdul Muthalib, as saying they would be the first of 50 to be sent.

Anger against Israel has been on the rise in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, following Tel Aviv’s military offensive against Lebanon. Indonesia does not have diplomatic ties with Israel.

MMI chairman Bashir, speaking at mass prayers in support of Lebanon and the Palestinians on Sunday, called on the government to let Indonesians join the fight against Israel.

Another fringe group claimed last week that it had sent more than 200 suicide bombers abroad to attack Jewish interests in countries that back Israel, but experts have said they doubt the group is serious.