Police unleash first antiterror squad

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

The Jakarta Police inaugurated on Thursday a 75-member antiterror detachment, called Den88, which is the country's first such squad. The ceremony at city police headquarters was marked with the enactment of a hostage-rescue situation and the disposal of a mock car bomb.

"I hope Den88, the members of which have special skills to prevent terrorist attacks -- in intelligence, investigation and crisis management -- can help us combat terrorism in every possible way," city police chief Insp. Gen. Firman Gani said.

Adj. Sr. Comr. Tito Karnavian was appointed as chief of Den88, which comprises a 28-member crime squad, a 14-member intelligence team and a seven-member investigative team.

Director of the National Police's antiterror and bomb squads Brig. Gen. Pranowo, said the Den88's name was derived from the number of Australian fatalities in the Bali bombings on Oct. 12, 2001.

"Australia suffered the highest number of fatalities in Bali. Besides, the figure eight is written as a continuous line, which represents the police's continuous effort to combat terrorism," he said.

Jakarta has been one of terrorist attack targets nationwide. This year, two blasts occurred: in Cimanggis, Depok, in the south of Jakarta, in February, and at the General Elections Commission (KPU) office on Jl. Imam Bonjol, Central Jakarta, in July. No fatalities were reported in the blasts.

Last year, an attack on the JW Marriott Hotel in Mega Kuningan, South Jakarta, left 12 people dead and 147 injured.

Currently, 13 people have been sentenced to jail while three others are awaiting trial.

Den88 is the first of three planned provincial-level antiterror squads.

"The three detachments will be inaugurated as soon as their members are trained," Pranowo said, but he declined to name the three provinces.

Both Firman and Pranowo declined to say whether the police had received financial or training assistance from foreign countries, such as Australia or the United States.

However, the Associated Press reported that the detachment had been trained by United States military officials. It also said squad members had made several arrests in Indonesia since graduating from a training center on the southern outskirts of Jakarta.

"The academy is funded by Washington and is staffed by Americans. It teaches hostage rescue, crime scene investigation and bomb disposal," AP said.

Some of the Den88 members have been involved in the arduous manhunt for the perpetrators of terrorist attacks since the Bali bombings.