Five people questioned over mysterious gunshots
Five people questioned over mysterious gunshots
JAKARTA (JP): City police are questioning five people in connection with gunshots fired on Sunday at a hotel and an office building in Central Jakarta.
City Police Chief Maj. Gen. Dibyo Widodo confirmed yesterday that the intensive questioning is taking place. But he denied reports that those being questioned have been arrested. "No official arrests have been made," he said.
Three of the five people were identified as Bambang, Prabowo, Kasnan. Police did not want to identify the other two.
Sources said that Bambang is a member of the Armed Forces, Prabowo is an ex-serviceman and Kasnan is a civilian.
The first two suspects were arrested on Tuesday evening at the site of a building under construction.
They were being employed as security guards at the building, located on Jl. Teluk Betung, near the place from which police believe the shots were fired.
Police also confirmed that the gun believed to have been used was a Mauser 7.62 millimeter.
The confirmation was provided after the confiscation of a gun of that type and a box of various kinds of bullets.
The Mauser 7.62 mm sniping rifle, 1117 mm in length, is made by Fabrique Nationale Herstale SA, Branche Defense et Securite, B-4400 Herstal, in Belgium.
Police also seized one walkie-talkie set and one Japanese samurai sword.
However police said they had not yet come to any conclusions about the likely motive for the firing of the shots.
The shots were fired at two separate rooms of a five-star hotel on Jl. Karet Pasar Baru Timur at about 6 a.m. on Sunday.
At approximately the same time, an office on the 27th floor of the Bank Bumi Daya tower on Jl. Imam Bonjol was also fired upon.
No casualties have been reported in connection with the shots, which some say was meant to disrupt the Saturday wedding reception of movie star Onky Alexander Harianto and company executive Paula Ayustina Saroinsong.
Paula, employed at a company run by Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana, has an office on the 23rd floor of the bank headquarters.
The newly-married couple said they had no enemies and hoped the police would solve the case quickly.
The police have since found three bullet cartridges in a vacant lot on Jl. Teluk Betung.
The lot is about 700 meters from the five-star hotel on Jl. Karet Pasar Baru Timur and approximately 500 meters from the bank building on Jl. Imam Bonjol. (bsr)