Father wakes up to nightmare of son on the run
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)