Police arrest dozens carrying explosives

JAKARTA (JP): Police detectives aided by local people arrested 53 people in two separate raids on Thursday for possession of Molotov cocktails and other explosives.

In the morning, 35 people were arrested by detectives from the South Jakarta precinct at the Perbanas School of Economics on Jl. Genteng Hijau.

The officers confiscated at least 35 Molotov cocktails and 15 plastic and glass bottles filled with fuel and equipped with wicks.

Later in the evening, a group of people on the capital's major thoroughfare of Jl. Sudirman in South Jakarta detained 18 men, who claimed they were members of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan).

They were handcuffed after being chased by people in the area who were suspicious of their appearance.

The people captured the 18 suspects and later handed them over to the nearby Jakarta Police headquarters, together with the Molotov cocktails.

The suspects were taken to the South Jakarta police for further questioning.

South Jakarta police chief of detectives Capt. Rycko Amelza Daniel explained the first arrests were made at Perbanas campus following an operation against suspected militant activists which lasted over 30 minutes.

"Police came out with bombs and plastic bottles in their hands," Rycko said.

"According to information from our informers, students from Padjajaran University in Bandung had been arriving since Wednesday and had joined with the Perbanas students. Some of them had even managed to kidnap one of our officers."

"The kidnapped officer was 2nd Sgt. Nugroho. He was later safely handed over to the military police for questioning about the matter.

Meanwhile, the Bandung students were sent back to Bandung at about 11:30 a.m.," Rycko said.

The 35 arrested people were believed to have been involved in the kidnapping as well as in the making of the handmade bombs. (ylt/04)