Police hunt man with gun

Police are still trying to track down an unidentified man seen holding a gun at a religious rally earlier this month, along with 11 other persons wanted in relation to violence at the rally.

The originally peaceful rally, held by the National Alliance for the Freedom of Faith and Religion (AKKBB) at the National Monument park in Central Jakarta, turned violent when AKKBB members were ambushed by members of other groups.

“We are still hunting a man seen holding a gun during the rally on June 1, whose image was captured by television cameras, and 11 wanted persons,” National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Abubakar Nataprawira said Monday.

The police have so far charged 10 suspects, including Islam Defenders Front (FPI) leader Rizieq Shihab and Islam Troop Command leader Munarman, along with eight Islam Troop Command members who are on the list of the 20 wanted persons.

Abubakar refuted the suggestion the armed man was a member of the secret police.

“The police did not deploy any secret agents or armed personnel to join the rally. So it will be the duty of the Jakarta Police to determine the identity of that person.”

Abubakar said the police had called AKKBB members to testify on the chronology of the incident.

“Today (Monday), the Jakarta Police summoned three members of the AKKBB, who were in charge during the rally,” he said.

Uli Parulian Sihombing, a lawyer for the AKKBB, said Ahmad Suaedy had answered the police summons to testify as a victim.

“Ahmad Suaedy was one of the AKKBB activists who was injured during the rally. He was wounded in his chin by a sharpened bamboo stick wielded by an FPI member. He came to the police headquarters to give his statement on the tragedy and identify the perpetrator,” he said.

Munarman’s lawyer, Syamsul Bahri Radjam, said the police should name the armed man as a suspect and forbid him from traveling overseas.

“The police have to treat him the same as they treated Munarman,” he told reporters during the questioning of the Islam Troop Command leader.

“The holder of the gun could be charged with violating the State Emergency Law.”

AKKBB lawyer Uli Parulian Sihombing told The Jakarta Post the person was unlikely to be a member of the AKKBB.

“It was a peaceful event. So we had set clear rules before the event that no kind of violence was allowed. We believe the person with the gun was not a participant in the rally,” he said.

Rizieq has submitted a pretrial request challenging the Jakarta Police case against him, as reported by kompas.com. He is arguing the police did not follow correct procedures during his arrest. The pretrial request was filed with the Central Jakarta District Court. (The Jakarta Post)

Five suspects identified in Monas violence

Police have identified five alleged suspects of the Monas Square incident in which members of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) and other mass organizations attacked activists of the National Alliance for Freedom of Religion and Faith (AKKBB) on Sunday.

“There are five people we have been able to name as suspects,” Commissioner General Bambang Hendarso Dahuri, head of the National Police Headquarters’ Criminal Investigation Department, said Monday.

The police were now on the lookout for the five suspects, he said, while declining to give details such as their names.

He said the police would always take stern action against those violating the law on violence. “Law enforcement will be strict,” Dahuri said.

He added that the police would also conduct an investigation to identify the mastermind of the violence, which had left many wounded.

Meanwhile, scores of legislators, political observers, human rights activists,and members of Muslim organizations, GP Anshor and Baitul Muslimin Indonesia (BMI), headed Monday to the National Police Headquarters to lodge a complaint on the Monas incident.

They urged the police to take firm actions against organizations committing acts of violence to achieve their aims such as FPI.

FPI members attacked activists at the Monas (National Monument) Square in Central Jakarta on Sunday afternoon, leaving 70 people injured, seven of whom had to undergo intensive treatment at Jakarta hospitals. (The Jakarta Post)