FBI agents arrive to join probe into killing of Americans
FBI agents arrive to join probe into killing of Americans
Ian Timberlake, Agence France-Presse, Jakarta
U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation agents have arrived here to
work with Indonesian police investigating the ambush murder of
two Americans in Papua province, a U.S. embassy spokesman said
Thursday.
"A small FBI team is in Indonesia at the invitation of the
Indonesian government to work with the Indonesian police," the
official told AFP, declining to be named.
He said they arrived late Wednesday or early Thursday.
Unidentified gunmen last August 31 fired more than 100 rounds
at a convoy carrying employees of the U.S.-owned Freeport copper
and gold mine near Timika in Papua province.
Two U.S. teachers and an Indonesian colleague died and 12
others, most of them Americans, were wounded.
Papua's deputy police chief, Brigadier General Raziman
Tarigan, said in November that Kopassus special forces soldiers
were suspected in the attack. He was later transferred to Jakarta
and a Papua police spokesman on Thursday denied investigators
have implicated the military.
"That was based on the explanation of a witness," the
spokesman, Daud Sihombing, told AFP. "It needs to be backed up by
further evidence."
He said the police have faced no obstacles from the military
or anyone else during their investigation.
Reports of military involvement could seriously undermine U.S.
efforts to resume full military ties with Indonesia, which have
been restricted since 1999 because of the military-backed
violence in East Timor.
The FBI role "will be significant" and Indonesian officials,
including the military, understand that the case is of great
importance to future Indonesian relations with the United States,
a U.S. official said recently.
National police spokesman Edward Aritonang said the two FBI
agents and their FBI interpreter would meet the head of
Indonesia's criminal and detective division in Jakarta later
Thursday to "try to formulate their program during their stay in
Indonesia."
Aritonang said the FBI will provide forensic and other
technical assistance.
FBI officers have already traveled to Papua at least twice for
what officials described as "monitoring" of the Indonesian police
investigation.
"We welcome them. It's no problem for us," Sihombing said from
Papua.
Kopassus has denied any role in the murders. Some army
officials have previously blamed the ambush on a poorly-armed
group of separatist rebels who have waged a long-running but
sporadic guerrilla campaign in Papua.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported in November that U.S.
intelligence agencies had intercepted messages between Indonesian
army commanders indicating they were involved in staging the
ambush.
It quoted a source as saying the motive was to pressure
Freeport to continue an annual protection payment of more than
US$10 million to the army command responsible for Papua.
Freeport's mine is considered a vital national asset and is
heavily guarded by government forces.