Indonesia Police Deny Errors in Shooting Dead Terror Suspects

Jakarta, Indonesia (News Today) - Members of the police’s anti-terror unit did not target the wrong persons in their recent crackdowns on terror suspects in which a number of the latter were killed, a spokesman said.

National Police Headquarters’ public relations chief Insp Gen Edward Aritonang was referring to the actions of Special Anti Terror Detachment 88 (Densus 88) members against terror suspects in Cikampek, West Java, and Cililitan, East Jakarta, on May 12,2010 in which some of the targets were shot dead.

In a statement on Wednesday, Aritonang said the anti-terror police officers in the field had accurate information and data on their targets.

"We gave our officers accurate data and information on the targets and on their involvement in terror acts. The terror suspects who were shot dead resisted arrest by shooting at the police," he said.

He said the police officers in the field did not arbitrarily shoot the terror suspects during the raids because their aim was to capture their targets alive.

"In anti-terror operations in Solo and Sukoharjo, the targets were caught alive because they did not try to resist arrest," he said.

He added that during the raids in Cikampek and Cililitan, the police seized a long-barrel M-16 rifle, a revolver, and thousands of rounds of ammunition of various types. National Police Chief Gen Bambang Hendarso Danuri had earlier said the various operations against terror suspects in the country recently were all conducted in juridically accountable ways.

According to Bambang, strong actions had to be taken against the terrorists in the field because three Mobile Brigade personnel had been killed and 13 others were wounded during a raid in Aceh province. On Wednesday, May 12, 2010, Police shot dead five suspected terrorists and arrested one in shootouts in Cililitan, East Jakarta, and Cikampek, West Java.

In Cililitan, police shot dead three terror suspects. One of them was identified as Maulana while the other two still could not be identified, Aritonang said. The police shot dead Maulana who touted a revolver in resisting arrest, he said. Maulana had been named a fugitive since his alleged involvement in terrorist activity in Jantho, Aceh Besar district, in February 2010, he said.

Source : kompas.com

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