One suspect arrested in gunshots case

One suspect arrested in gunshots case

JAKARTA (JP): One suspect has been arrested and is now undergoing questioning about the gunshots fired last week at two buildings in central Jakarta, City Police Chief Maj. Gen Dibyo Widodo confirmed yesterday.

Two others are being investigated by the military police as it has not been determined that the man in custody is the shooter, military sources said yesterday.

City Military Commander Maj. Gen. Wiranto would not say if the suspect under arrest is an Armed Forces member.

"A number of members of the Armed Forces who might have been involved in the case are still being questioned by military officers. If found guilty, they will face military law," Wiranto said yesterday.

He refused to speculate on the motive of the shooter and then asked the reporters to stop questioning him.

Head of the City Police Crime Investigation Division, Col. Nurfauzi, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday evening that the interrogation of the suspect had been completed but that findings were still confidential.

Earlier reports said that two of the five questioned was identified as Bambang and Prabowo. Bambang was an active Armed Forces member, while Prabowo was ex-serviceman, the reports said.

Other sources claim the man detained at the city police headquarters has been identified as Prabowo, the ex-serviceman.

Many suspect that he officers' reluctance to comment the progress of the investigation is due to the fact that Armed Forces members may be involved.

Police have confirmed that the gun used was a Mauser 7.62 mm, which they determined after a Mauser 7.62 mm sniping rifle and a box of different types of bullets were confiscated.

The shots were fired at two rooms of a five-star hotel on Jl. Karet Pasar Baru on Sunday evening. At about the same time an office on the 27th floor of the Bank Bumi Daya tower on Jl. Imam Bonjol was also fired on. No casualties were reported. (bsr)