21 people carrying dangerous items detained during protest

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Metro Jaya Regional Police, through its Preventive Strike and Preemptive Education teams, detained 21 people found carrying dangerous items amid the deployment of thousands of security personnel for a protest in Jakarta.

“The 21 individuals are currently being questioned at the Metro Jaya Police’s Criminal Investigation Directorate regarding dangerous items such as firecrackers, flares, and bottles prepared as triggers for Molotov cocktails,” said Metro Jaya Police Head of Public Relations, Senior Commissioner Budi Hermanto, in Jakarta on Tuesday.

The arrests were carried out as part of preventive efforts to prevent an escalation of unrest during the protest.

Based on initial findings, police revealed that the detained individuals were suspected of not being affiliated with the student groups staging the protest.

“They are indicated to be outsiders intending to exploit the situation to provoke conflict and clashes between security officers and protest participants,” he said.

“The personnel prepared consist of 5,670 from the Metro Jaya Police, 222 from resort police units, 1,500 from the Indonesian National Armed Forces, and 1,850 under the operational control of the National Police Headquarters,” Budi said.

The security deployment was spread across several critical points in Central Jakarta, East Jakarta, and South Jakarta, including to secure a series of public activities in celebration of the 81st anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia.

Regarding security procedures, he stressed that all security personnel are strictly prohibited from carrying firearms, in accordance with the directive of the Metro Jaya Police Chief and the applicable Standard Operating Procedure.

“Firearms must not be carried during the provision of services for the expression of opinions in public. We convey this professionally and humanely,” Budi said.