Palu attackers targeted couple, say police chief

Ruslan Sangadji, The Jakarta Post, Palu

Police investigating the shooting on Saturday of a Christian couple in the Central Sulawesi capital of Palu have found evidence leading them to suspect the victims were targeted by the attackers.

Central Sulawesi Police chief Brig. Gen. Oegroseno said on Sunday the couple had been followed since they left a house of worship where they had attended a sermon.

Oegroseno said the police had collected evidence from the crime site, including rounds of ammunition and hoods, which were used by the attackers to cover their faces.

"The attackers rode a motorbike and shot the couple from close range," said Oegroseno, whose rank as a policeman was raised last week.

But he admitted the police had encountered difficulties in tracing the owner of the Yamaha motorbike as the two assailants had switched off its light during the attack.

"This is an act of terror, instead of just an ordinary crime. We will charge the attackers under the antiterrorism law," Oegroseno said.

"I believe the attackers are part of a well-organized group that aims to destabilize the province."

Novlin Pallinggi, 37, and her husband Pudji Laksono, 45, were the latest victims of violence in the province after previous attacks in Palu and Poso, some 150 kilometers east of the provincial capital. They couple were shot on Saturday evening while riding a motorbike to their house in Bumi Roviega housing complex.

Pudji is a lecturer at Tadulako University.

Doctors of Undata General Hospital removed a bullet from his chest on Sunday, but his wife remains in a critical condition. Doctors have been unable to dislodge two bullets from her chest and ribs.

Saturday's shooting took place only a day after three teenage girls were shot by unidentified assailants in Palu. One of them was killed.

Palu council speaker Andi Mulhanan Tombolotutu condemned the series of attacks, saying the assailants were targeting other areas as their efforts in Poso had not led to conflict between Christians and Muslims.

Andi was referring to the beheadings of three Christian schoolgirls and the shooting of two girls in Poso prior to and after Idul Fitri.

The police are investigating the attacks and have arrested some people, including former soldiers and police officers, in connection with the cases. None of them have been declared as suspects so far.

"I hope people in Palu, regardless of their religion, can stand strong against provocation and together fight terrorism, which has become our common enemy," Andi said.

Poso was the scene of a bloody conflict between Christians and Muslims between 2000 and 2001, when sectarian clashes claimed more than 1,000 lives.