Police Secure 3 Suspected Child Terrorists

A press conference related to alleged child terror at the Gorontalo Police Station, Gorontalo Regency, Saturday (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - The Gorontalo Police have arrested three suspected perpetrators of the terror attack on four students of SD Negeri 2 Telaga (elementary school), Gorontalo Regency, Gorontalo Province.

Gorontalo Police Chief, AKBP Dadang Wijaya in Gorontalo, Saturday, said the three perpetrators with the initials IK, PP, and RN were secured at their respective homes in Telaga Jaya District, not far from the location of the incident.

According to Dadang, IK, PP and RN admitted that there was no intention whatsoever when they uttered sentences that were suspected of terror at the four elementary school students. The action he took was purely because he was annoyed because the four children did not heed the sound of the car horn.

"The three admitted that they had no intention of committing a crime. They were only annoyed because they had been honked but the children did not step aside. What they said to the four elementary school children was just spontaneous," Dadang said, quoting Antara, Sunday, February 19.

However, said the police chief, IK, and his colleagues apologized for causing concern.

Even though there was no intention of committing a crime, said Dadang, scaring with language like that was indeed not allowed, especially given the current conditions where there was widespread news on social media regarding the issue of child abduction.

For this incident, said the Police Chief, his party provided guidance, accompanied by the obligation to make a statement stating that they would not repeat the same act.

"There was no detention, it's just that if we do it again, we will take legal action because it has disturbed the community," he said.

Previously, it went viral on social media showing the confessions of four students at SDN 2 Talaga Jaya, Talaga Jaya District, who were allegedly terrorized by unknown people.

Based on this information, the local police traced the driver of the car that was recorded on CCTV, and it didn't take long to arrest the three residents, IK, PP, and RN.

The incident began when IK and his two colleagues drove a car from the direction of the Jodoh Bridge to a residential area that passed through Luwoo Village, Telaga District, Gorontalo Regency. On the way, said IK, there was a tent frame on the left side of the road. While in front there are two cars.

"Due to the situation, there were two vehicles and tent frames, I took the direction to the right of the road. At the same time, there were four children from the front. Even though they had been given a sign by honking their horns, they were still on the road. Out of frustration, and when a car approached them, I immediately said 'where to sell to children here'. Instantly, the children immediately ran," said IK.