Eight named suspects in police killings<\/p>\n
Eva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Police said on Friday they had named eight followers of a little-
\nknown religious sect in Central Sulawesi as suspects for the
\nkillings of three police officers.<\/p>\n
The suspects were among at least 72 followers of sect leader
\nMahdi who were arrested after a deadly clash on Tuesday with
\npolice near the provincial capital of Palu, National Police
\nspokesman Insp. Gen. Aryanto Boedihardjo said.<\/p>\n
He alleged that the eight suspects -- Syahido, 30, Adjamuddin,
\n40, Bambang, 40, Nangga, 24, Lai, 35, Olimin, 21, Kahar, 21 and
\nRyaya, 42 -- were responsible for the deaths of the three police
\nofficers during the clash, including Adj. Comr. Imam Dwi
\nHaryanto.<\/p>\n
\"The first four people are believed to have killed Imam using
\nmachetes, while the last four helped drag and hide Imam's body,\"
\nAryanto told a press conference in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
He also said that a total of 117 Mahdi followers, comprising
\n32 men, 40 women and 45 children, had surrendered to local
\npolice.<\/p>\n
Police had also confiscated 18 machetes and a spear believed
\nto have been used in Tuesday's incident.<\/p>\n
The conflict broke out after 16 officers went to the
\nmountainous Gawalise area near Palu to detain Mahdi for allegedly
\nspreading heretical Islamic beliefs.<\/p>\n
However, the attempt to arrest the 27-year old leader met
\nstrong resistance from his followers, leading to the deaths of
\nthree officers and two sect members.<\/p>\n
A day later, police launched a massive raid against the sect
\nto locate the attackers and Mahdi as they were reportedly holding
\nseveral officers hostage in their hideouts.<\/p>\n
The search efforts, employing over 300 heavily armed police
\nand a helicopter, eventually bore fruit, with the three officers
\nbeing found alive on Thursday in a forest area near Salena hamlet
\nwhere the sect was centered.<\/p>\n
\"The evacuation process has been completed but police are
\nintensifying their efforts to find Mahdi,\" Aryanto said.<\/p>\n
He denied that police had violated the basic rights of
\ncitizens to freely practice their religion by attempting to
\narrest the sect leader.<\/p>\n
Police were merely trying to address public grievances that
\nthe Mahdi-led sect had caused anxiety in his neighborhood,
\nAryanto argued.<\/p>\n
Human rights activists have lashed out at police for their
\n\"repressive action\" against the sect members, saying that it went
\nagainst the basic right of freedom of religion.<\/p>\n
\"We were just trying to negotiate with the sect leader, but
\nthis failed because they (sect members) suddenly attacked us,\"
\nAryanto said.<\/p>\n
He said that currently police were trying to identify and
\nlocate other Mahdi followers, which according to a document they
\nhad found numbered at least 372. --Related story on Page 3<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/eight-named-suspects-in-police-killings-1447893297",
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