Suspect denies role in prosecutor's murder<\/p>\n
Ruslan Sangadji, Palu<\/p>\n
One of the men arrested by Central Sulawesi Police and charged
\nwith the murder of prosecutor Ferry Silalahi has claimed that he
\nwas not involved, and his friends say he has an alibi.<\/p>\n
Emil, a resident of Donggulu village some 150 kilometers from
\nPalu, was picked up by the police on June 1 to be questioned over
\nFerry's murder.<\/p>\n
The prosecutor, who has been involved in several high-profile
\nterrorist trials, was gunned down at around 10 p.m. on May 26
\nafter attending an evening church service in the city with his
\nwife.<\/p>\n
Emil, currently being detained by the police, denied on
\nTuesday any wrongdoing in the shooting incident.<\/p>\n
He, his wife Hamna and several of his friends said the suspect
\nwas watching TV at his neighbor's house at the time of the
\nmurder.<\/p>\n
\"I only found out about the incident when I saw it on TV,\"
\nEmil told The Jakarta Post at the Central Sulawesi Police
\nheadquarters.<\/p>\n
His friend, Djafar, backed up Emil's claim.<\/p>\n
\"That is the reason we have come to the provincial police
\nheadquarters -- to vouch for him. It is impossible that Emil was
\nthe one who shot the prosecutor,\" Djafar said.<\/p>\n
Hamnah said her husband went to his neighbor's house at 9 p.m.
\nto watch TV on the night Ferry was killed, and returned home two
\nhours later.<\/p>\n
\"How could they (the police) suspect him? The distance from
\nPalu to Donggulu is about 150 kilometers. The road is bad, so it
\nwould have been impossible for my husband to have rode a
\nmotorcycle through coffee plantations and take only 30 minutes in
\nthe middle of the night,\" she argued.<\/p>\n
Hamnah said her husband was just a tailor. If there were not
\nmany orders, he would tend to the family's farm and return in the
\nafternoon to play volleyball with local youths, she added.<\/p>\n
Emil's mother Hapiah also expressed shock at her son's arrest.
\n\"My son is a devout person. He couldn't have done anything like
\nthat,\" she said.<\/p>\n
She said her family has been living in Donggulu since their
\nhouse in the riot-torn regency of Poso was burned down and
\nseveral of their relatives killed during the two years of
\nsectarian fighting since 2000.<\/p>\n
Another friend of Emil, Awad, confirmed the detained suspect
\nwas busy with his tailoring business in Donggulu.<\/p>\n
Hamnah urged the police to release her husband because the
\nfamily depended solely on him for their livelihood. \"Pity my
\nchildren,\" she said in tears, while holding her child.<\/p>\n
Central Sulawesi Police Chief Brig. Gen. Taufik Ridha said
\nEmil was not officially named a suspect as yet in the murder
\ncase. However, he did not say if Emil would soon be released.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/suspect-denies-role-in-prosecutors-murder-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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