Gang leader says Basri's murder nothing more than criminal act

Evi Mariani The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

John Kei, an alleged gang leader, said on Wednesday his "brothers" were not motivated by racial or ethnic hatred in murdering gang leader Basri Sangaji.

"The eight arrested suspects are all my brothers, they lived in my house. What they did was purely a criminal act," he said.

John invited the media to a gathering to break the fast at the Arcici Sports Club in Cempaka Putih, Central Jakarta. He issued the invitations through the police, a week after his eight "brothers" were arrested for Basri's murder.

The eight suspects, who were arrested at John's house in Bekasi, have reportedly admitted to police that they killed Basri and wounded Basri's brothers, Jamal and Ali, at the Kebayoran Inn Hotel in South Jakarta on Oct. 12.

John Kei, whose real name is John Refra, 35, said his "brothers", most of whom come from his hometown in the Kei Islands, southeast Maluku, held a longtime grudge against Basri.

"In 1998, Basri led a gang that attacked a house in Kayumanis, East Jakarta, which killed Nus Ulukianan, the brother of one of the suspects," he said, adding that the police had dropped their investigation into the case.

John said the eight suspects spotted Basri while they were having drinks at the hotel, where the victim and his brothers were staying.

"The old grudge rose up and they decided to kill Basri ... (but) I did not know anything about that until after the police questioned me the following day," he said.

He said his organization, the Kei Young Generation (AmKei), held the breaking of the fast gathering to help improve the relationship between different religious and ethnic groups.

"It is an annual event. Amkei is a pluralistic organization. During Ramadhan we break the fast together, and we also celebrate Christmas," he said.