Prisoners' plan to bomb prison and escape thwarted
Prisoners' plan to bomb prison and escape thwarted
JAKARTA (JP): The police have foiled the plans of five
prisoners to build a homemade bomb inside the Tangerang Prison
and use it to aid their escape.
Tangerang Police deputy chief Comr. Ricky Wakanno said on
Wednesday that the five prisoners were allegedly building the
bomb using material smuggled into prison, by the wife of one of
the prisoners.
"They planned to detonate the explosive on April 20. With that
diversion, they were hoping to escape prison," Ricky told The
Jakarta Post.
The bomb equipment was found hidden inside their cell on
Tuesday night.
Ricky identified the prisoners as embezzlement convict
Sugiyanto, drug convict Sunardi and robbery convicts Deddy
Susanto, Sigit Harianto and Muhammad Iqbal.
"It was Deddy Susanto's wife who gradually smuggled in the
equipment to build the bomb with each visit she made to the
prison. Family members of Sugianto also helped by smuggling in
equipment."
Ricky added that jail wardens who allowed Deddy's wife and
Sugianto's family members to enter the prison unchecked, would
soon be detained for questioning.
"The wardens are partly responsible for this," he said.
He added that his detectives were already questioning
Tangerang Prison chief warden Paulus Sugeng, and jail warden
Ruslan.
"According to the prisoners, Deddy's wife had succeeded in
smuggling in most of the bomb equipment, except for the explosive
material itself ... which she was intending to smuggle in either
this week or the next."
The confiscated bomb equipment included timers, batteries,
some wiring, stove wicks, and bottles, which Ricky said, would
have been assembled into Molotov cocktails.
Ricky explained that at 11 p.m. on Tuesday, he received
information from Paulus Sugeng that some prison inmates of Block
C2 -- which is now being secured by police officers -- were going
to make a bomb.
"Paulus said that he got this information from some of the
prison inmates," Ricky said.
"Sugianto was the one making the bomb ... he told us that this
was his first experience.
"He was actually transferred from the Salemba Penitentiary
into Tangerang Prison, because he had made precisely the same
plan there, of blasting his way out of jail, during Christmas Eve
last year."
Ricky added that jail wardens in penitentiaries across Greater
Jakarta seemed to be losing control over prisoners, and were
easily lured by money which rich prisoners provided wardens with,
in exchange for drugs and other perks inside prison, or even
freedom.
Last month, a prisoner was killed when hundreds of police were
attempting to quell a riot that broke out in Cipinang
Penitentiary in East Jakarta.
The government-sanctioned National Commission on Human Rights
(Komnas HAM) was scheduled to carry out a nationwide inquiry into
penitentiaries and detention centers, to uncover the roots of
unrest in such institutions.
There are 372 correctional institutions and detention centers
across provinces nationwide, but the number of prisoners usually
exceed the capacity of the prison. (ylt)
JAKARTA (JP): The police have foiled the plans of five
prisoners to build a homemade bomb inside the Tangerang Prison
and use it to aid their escape.
Tangerang Police deputy chief Comr. Ricky Wakanno said on
Wednesday that the five prisoners were allegedly building the
bomb using material smuggled into prison, by the wife of one of
the prisoners.
"They planned to detonate the explosive on April 20. With that
diversion, they were hoping to escape prison," Ricky told The
Jakarta Post.
The bomb equipment was found hidden inside their cell on
Tuesday night.
Ricky identified the prisoners as embezzlement convict
Sugiyanto, drug convict Sunardi and robbery convicts Deddy
Susanto, Sigit Harianto and Muhammad Iqbal.
"It was Deddy Susanto's wife who gradually smuggled in the
equipment to build the bomb with each visit she made to the
prison. Family members of Sugianto also helped by smuggling in
equipment."
Ricky added that jail wardens who allowed Deddy's wife and
Sugianto's family members to enter the prison unchecked, would
soon be detained for questioning.
"The wardens are partly responsible for this," he said.
He added that his detectives were already questioning
Tangerang Prison chief warden Paulus Sugeng, and jail warden
Ruslan.
"According to the prisoners, Deddy's wife had succeeded in
smuggling in most of the bomb equipment, except for the explosive
material itself ... which she was intending to smuggle in either
this week or the next."
The confiscated bomb equipment included timers, batteries,
some wiring, stove wicks, and bottles, which Ricky said, would
have been assembled into Molotov cocktails.
Ricky explained that at 11 p.m. on Tuesday, he received
information from Paulus Sugeng that some prison inmates of Block
C2 -- which is now being secured by police officers -- were going
to make a bomb.
"Paulus said that he got this information from some of the
prison inmates," Ricky said.
"Sugianto was the one making the bomb ... he told us that this
was his first experience.
"He was actually transferred from the Salemba Penitentiary
into Tangerang Prison, because he had made precisely the same
plan there, of blasting his way out of jail, during Christmas Eve
last year."
Ricky added that jail wardens in penitentiaries across Greater
Jakarta seemed to be losing control over prisoners, and were
easily lured by money which rich prisoners provided wardens with,
in exchange for drugs and other perks inside prison, or even
freedom.
Last month, a prisoner was killed when hundreds of police were
attempting to quell a riot that broke out in Cipinang
Penitentiary in East Jakarta.
The government-sanctioned National Commission on Human Rights
(Komnas HAM) was scheduled to carry out a nationwide inquiry into
penitentiaries and detention centers, to uncover the roots of
unrest in such institutions.
There are 372 correctional institutions and detention centers
across provinces nationwide, but the number of prisoners usually
exceed the capacity of the prison. (ylt)