Father wakes up to nightmare of son on the run

JAKARTA (JP): At his tiny house in a small alley in East Jakarta, Sucahyo never expected to be bombarded with visits from police and intelligence officers.

That was until he heard that his eldest son was accused of being the key suspect in an audacious attempted armed robbery of a bank and a blast at a shopping center on the morning of April 15.

He never imagined that his home on Jl. Cipinang Cempedak III would be visited so frequently, closely watched by plainclothes police officers in every corner of the alley.

"I really don't know where my son is right now," the 67-year- old responded when asked if he knew of any clues to the whereabouts of Amir, also known as Edi Rianto or Umar.

Sleep is now elusive for the father of seven children and grandfather of 17. Every day, the police take him on long tours of the city, visiting homes of relatives and friends where his son may have left clues.

"The police have asked me over the last three days to accompany them from the afternoon to the early morning to search for my son," the military veteran told reporters on Thursday.

His throat and eyes hurt following long hours of questioning by the police.

Sucahyo admitted he met his son for the last time on April 15, the day of the crimes. He recalled that one of Amir's thighs was bleeding.

"He came here at about 3 p.m. with three of his friends who waited outside the house," Sucahyo said.

The blast at Hayam Wuruk Plaza occurred at about 11:10 a.m., while the attempted robbery happened 10 minutes later.

The four men left the house, riding two becak (pedicab), Sucahyo said.

Amir is said to be the leader of the group Angkatan Mujahiddin Islam Nusantara (AMIN), based in Caringin Maseng subdistrict, in Cijeruk, Bogor.

The group reportedly provided military-style training to its members and planned robberies of several big banks in Jakarta to raise funds for its activities.

Electronic expert

Police have given little information about Amir. They only revealed he was an activist in an Islamic affiliated youth organization.

"My son is a repair man for broken electronic items," Sucahyo said.

From his first marriage to Tuti, Amir has three children, and five children with second wife Sri Mursiti, also know as Nur.

None of them ever visited Sucahyo's house. He lives with his ailing wife, Rusminah, and his fifth son Effendi.

No family pictures or ornaments are on the walls of his home.

"Edi (Amir) doesn't like to hang pictures on the wall as he believes an evil genie could easily enter the house through the pictures," Sucahyo said.

To meet the family's daily needs, Sucahyo runs a photocopy machine rental shop.

"My children sometimes help us, but we cannot depend on them. This business is enough," he said.

Sucahyo admitted that he was shocked when he learned that his son was tagged as the mastermind of the bank robbery.

"My son is not the type of person who chases material wealth."

After graduating from a technical high school, Amir was employed by automotive company PT Indomobil. He was fired in the middle of last year, and his father said he rarely met him afterward.

"He is a quiet and tough child," Sucahyo. He said his son set a good example for his younger siblings, particularly through his religious teachings.

Sucahyo is caught in limbo between the reality of his situation and a feeling of disbelief. Deep in his heart, he cannot accept his son could go to jail for attempted robbery.

"If the blast was intended for his organization's struggle, I still could understand and even tolerate that, but not for robbery," he said.

Police recently arrested 16 people suspected of involvement in the robbery attempt on the Gang Kancil branch office of Bank Central Asia (BCA) and the explosion at nearby Hayam Wuruk Plaza.

Seven of the suspects were residents of neighborhoods near the blast site, including Jl. Keagungan, Jl. Keamanan Dalam and Jl. Kesederhaan.

A police source said that the group planned the robbery from three months ago, with preparation including recruiting local youths.

Police have declined comment on whether all the detained suspects are members of AMIN. (emf)