Soldier held after gunshot incident

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: A soldier whose gun went off in a hotel lobby here on Tuesday is being questioned by military police.

First Sgt. Asep Suryana is in custody at the Kupang military police detachment in Kupang, the capital of East Nusa Tenggara, after he fired a single live round in the lobby of the Sasando Hotel. No one was hurt in the incident.

Military police chief Maj. Helvis said on Thursday Asep, whose FN 46 pistol had fired, had been questioned since Wednesday by investigators.

In an investigation report, Asep said the incident was purely accidental.

Helvis said the incident began when Asep, a soldier with the Kupang military police detachment, entered the Sasando Hotel lobby. As he entered, his pistol's magazine unhooked from its casing and fell to the ground. When Asep tried to put the magazine back, his finger accidentally pulled the pistol's trigger. The sound of the gunshot caused consternation at the hotel.

Asep told police he later realized that when he had put the magazine into the casing, there was still a live round inside the pistol. Military police were continuing to investigate, Helvis said. -- JP