Residents' Testimony During The Arrest Of Suspected Terrorists In Palembang

PALEMBANG - Several residents on Jalan Toman II, Sako Sub-district, Sako District, Palembang City, South Sumatra claimed to have seen firsthand the process of arresting one of the suspected terrorists by the Special Detachment 88 (Densus) Anti-terror Police.

Edo (33), a resident of Jalan Toman II RT 039/15, Sako Village, said the arrest occurred on Monday, December 13 at noon around 12.30 WIB.

At that time, he was startled by the sound of many people coming from outside his house. Then, immediately the owner of this laundry place was shocked to see the source of the crowd.

From behind the fence of his house, he saw a group of people carrying firearms and wearing civilian clothes.

They suddenly moved to surround a man who was crossing the road right next to his house.

"I've seen it for a while. The person that the group of people caught was a man. Then the man was taken into a minibus and took him away," he said, quoted by Antara, Tuesday, December 14.

According to him, even though he witnessed the incident not too long ago. Because getting a ban from someone who was dressed in civilian clothes earlier. He believes the man suspected of being a terrorist is not a resident of the area where he lives.

"I'm not really sure his face. It doesn't look like people from here," he said again.

Sri Maya (29), a local resident, said that since this morning she had suspected several minibus cars parked on the road, considering that the car had been parked for a long time with the engine running before the arrest occurred.

"There are some I don't know exactly. There are cars in them, lots of people park on the side of the road, the engine keeps running. I had my suspicions," he also said.

Head of RT 039/15 Zulkifli Anwar (50) said the man who was arrested was not a local resident as described earlier. Because until now there has been no report either from the police or from local residents, if anyone in the area has been caught.

"Obviously it doesn't look like a resident here. Because I know very well the people here," he said again.

According to him, residents had thought that the man who was arrested was related to the theft case which was indeed rampant in the area.

Until finally in the evening received information from the news that the arrested was a suspected terrorist who had been scouted for a long time.

"If you look at his arrest, it seems like it was very well planned. Didn't think it was a national network terrorist. It's scary, sir, even though we don't know where it came from, so we have to be more careful," he said.

Then, the location for the arrest of the next suspected terrorist was on Jalan Bukit Baru 1, RT 004/006, Bukit Baru Village, Ilir Barat 1 District, which the local residents did not know at all.

The head of RT 003/006 Bukit Baru Village, Ilir Barat 1 Subdistrict, Iskandar Rabani, said he only found out that there had been an arrest when a member of the police visited his house to take the belongings of the suspected terrorist.

The evidence, he said, consisted of a compass and several books.

"This man has only been here for about 2 months, previously he was a transfer resident from Alang-Alang Lebar. He is here on a contract, in RT 004/006, but I was asked by the police to accompany them to collect evidence. " he said again. Abdul Kadir, a resident of RT 004/006 said the man suspected of being a terrorist was a neighbor who was not familiar with the local residents.

He spends his time in his rented house which is a former place for billboard advertisement business.

"I don't know what his name is. Even though I often meet him during Fajr prayers at the mosque. There is his family in the rented house, but they also rarely go out," he said.

Previously, the Head of Public Relations of the South Sumatra Regional Police, Police Sr. Comr. Supriyadi, said the suspected terrorist who was arrested on Jalan Toman II had the initials FAS.

The FAS is one of four suspected terrorists from the Jamaah Islamiah (JI) network who were arrested in South Sumatra.

The others with the initials AI were arrested by Densus 88 on Jalan Lebung Permai, Talang Kelapa, Alang-Alang Lebar, Palembang who are also known to be residents of Bukit Baru Village, Ilir Barat 1 District, and EK, a resident of Jalan R Soekamto Lorong Masjid, 8 Ilir Subdistrict, Subdistrict Ilir Timur 3, Palembang.

Meanwhile, another suspected terrorist with the initials AR was arrested on Jalan Yos Sudarso, Jawa Kanan Village, East Lubuk Lingggau II District, Lubuk Linggau Regency.

"It is true that they are suspected of being terrorists of the Jamaah Islamiah network in South Sumatra," he said.

According to him, before being arrested the four had been scouted by members of Densus 88 for four months. Because indeed the arrests of the suspected terrorists were the result of the development of the previous arrests in Jakarta.

"We don't know what their motives are, what their goals are in South Sumatra. We are not directly involved in the investigation. Because after the arrest, he was immediately taken to Jakarta along with the evidence. Densus 88 still needs to be investigated again," he said.