Mystery surrounding acid attack on Andrie Yunus

Jakarta — Andrie Yunus, deputy coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS), became a victim of an acid attack by unknown assailants on Jalan Salemba I-Talang, Senen, Central Jakarta.

The incident on Thursday 12 March 2026 at 23:37 WIB remains shrouded in mystery, with the perpetrators still unidentified and at large.

The attack occurred whilst Andrie was riding a motorcycle through the location. Two assailants, also riding a motorcycle believed to be a 2016–2021 Honda Beat, approached the victim from the opposite direction on Jalan Talang (Talang Bridge).

“The perpetrators were two men who carried out the operation using one motorcycle, with each taking on the roles of driver and passenger,” said Dimas Bagus Arya, coordinator of KontraS’s Working Body, in a written statement confirmed to Kompas.com on Friday 13 March 2026.

The second perpetrator, sitting behind, wore a black face covering or buff that covered half of the face, dark blue shirt, and blue trousers folded short and believed to be denim material.

“One of the perpetrators then sprayed acid towards the victim, striking several parts of his body,” Dimas said.

As a result of the attack, Andrie immediately screamed in pain and dropped his motorcycle.

Andrie was then rushed to the nearest hospital in Jakarta and received emergency medical treatment for burns on both hands, face, and chest. The eyes were particularly affected by the liquid.

“There was a resident who immediately said ‘This is from KontraS, this is from LBH?’, with physical characteristics of a slightly bald head. We are also still trying to find out who this is, because there have been no clues to that level yet,” Dimas added.

It is suspected that Andrie had been under surveillance by unknown individuals several days before becoming a victim of the acid attack.

Muhammad Isnur, chairman of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), found indications that Andrie’s activities had been monitored by certain parties in recent days.

“We have evidence. We traced that over the past several days Andrie was placed under surveillance from his home, from his accommodation, and from the places he visited,” said Isnur at the YLBHI office in Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Friday 13 March 2026.