TNI thwarts attack on headquarters<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Indonesia Military (TNI) headquarters in Cilangkap, East
\nJakarta has thwarted a possible bomb attack allegedly planned by
\nthe Free Aceh Movement (GAM) as the man picked for the mission
\ndid not have the gumption to carry it out, an officer said.<\/p>\n
The man, identified as 33-year-old Riduansyah from Aceh, a
\ncivilian employee at the TNI headquarters, has sought police
\nprotection after the rebels threatened to kill him and his
\nfamily, TNI spokesman Col. D.J. Nachrowi said on Saturday.<\/p>\n
"They (GAM) thought they could influence him. But I think he
\nhas the nationalist spirit as he rejected their order," he told
\nThe Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
TNI headquarters is located in Cilangkap in East Jakarta. The
\ncompound is also the Navy and Air Force headquarters.<\/p>\n
The military launched a major offensive against GAM in May
\nlast year to end the decades-long rebellion in the resource-rich
\nprovince.<\/p>\n
Riduansyah, who lives with his wife and two children in a
\nhousing complex in Parung, Depok, West Java, is a native of
\nKutacane in Southeast Aceh.<\/p>\n
He is currently being questioned at the Jakarta Police
\nheadquarters, according to Sr. Comr. Mathius Salempang, who heads
\nthe detective and crime unit.<\/p>\n
"We need to verify whether his statement is true or not," he
\ntold the Post.<\/p>\n
An officer at Depok Police station, with whom Riduansyah filed
\nhis report of the death threat, said the TNI employee had been
\ninvolved in talks with a man who claimed to be a local GAM
\ncommander.<\/p>\n
The GAM commander then asked Riduansyah to meet him somewhere
\nin Parung. Riduansyah later met three men, who all claimed to be
\nGAM members, in the area early in the morning, the police said.<\/p>\n
"They had a gun and forced him (Riduansyah) to go with them.
\nThey later asked him to set a bomb in the headquarters and gave
\nhim Rp 23 million (US$2,738)," the officer, who requested
\nanonymity, said.<\/p>\n
It remains unclear whether the three people also provided
\nRiduansyah with explosives.<\/p>\n
Riduansyah said he did not have the nerve to follow the
\ninstruction, but spent the money for his personal needs. The men
\nwho claimed to be GAM members continued to phone him, asking him
\nto carry out the bombing.<\/p>\n
Nachrowi said the police would investigate the case thoroughly
\nin a bid to identify those who ordered Riduansyah to bomb the TNI
\nheadquarters.<\/p>\n
GAM spokesman Sofjan Dawood denied any plan to carry out a
\nbomb attack on the TNI headquarters.<\/p>\n
"We don't have any plan to blow up the TNI headquarters,
\nalthough it is permissible," he said.<\/p>\n
Sofjan also said he did not know Riduansyah or the rebels who
\nordered the bomb attack.<\/p>\n
"Riduansyah must be questioned thoroughly to understand his
\nmotive. He comes from Kutacane, which is not a strategic
\noperational area for GAM," he asserted.<\/p>\n
Central Aceh and Southeast Aceh are known to be a "white
\nareas" where GAM influence is minimal.<\/p>\n
The authorities have linked GAM to a series of bombings across
\nthe country, particularly after the deadly 2000 blast at the
\nJakarta Stock Exchange building on Jl. Sudirman in Central
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
A number of Acehnese, who were sent to jail for the incident,
\nwere accused of being GAM members. However, Tengku Ismuhadi
\nJafar, the alleged mastermind of the bombing, has denied any link
\nwith GAM.<\/p>\n
Following the imposition of the martial law in Aceh in May
\nlast year, subdistricts in Jakarta have required residents to
\nwatch over Acehnese neighbors.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/tni-thwarts-attack-on-headquarters-1447893297",
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