Suspect Spreads AI-Manipulated Photo of Acid Attacker Andrie Yunus Due to Panic
JAKARTA — The gang suspected of attacking KontraS Deputy Coordinator Andrie Yunus with hydrochloric acid is believed to have spread facial images of the perpetrators that have been processed using artificial intelligence (AI) on social media.
Imanudin, Director of General Criminal Investigation at the Jakarta Metro Police (Polda Metro Jaya), stated that the gang of perpetrators became panicked after CCTV footage from around the crime scene was circulated on social media.
“With the circulation of this crime scene video, the perpetrators actually started to appear panicked and attempted to obscure the investigation process by spreading images or sketches produced through AI manipulation,” Imanudin explained during a press conference on Monday (16 March 2026).
The photo has since been deleted by the person who uploaded it.
However, the same photo can still be found on the official Instagram account of Rieke Diah Pitaloka, a Member of Commission XIII of the Indonesian House of Representatives dealing with Law and Human Rights.
Budi Hermanto, Head of Public Relations at the Jakarta Metro Police, stated that this photo can hamper investigators’ focus on their work as it is considered misleading.
“We also emphasise that the AI-manipulated photos circulating are a form of deception and therefore cannot be held accountable,” Budi said.
Previously, Andrie Yunus was doused with hydrochloric acid by unknown individuals whilst riding a motorcycle on Jalan Salemba I-Talang, Senen, Central Jakarta.
When passing through the location, two perpetrators riding a motorcycle, allegedly a Honda Beat from the 2016 to 2021 model year, approached the victim from the opposite direction on Jalan Talang (Talang Bridge).
Meanwhile, the second perpetrator, sitting in the back, was wearing a face covering or mask resembling a black buff that covered half the face, a dark blue t-shirt, and long blue trousers that were rolled up to be short and allegedly made of denim material.
One of the perpetrators then splashed hydrochloric acid towards the victim, which struck parts of the victim’s body.
Andrie sustained burns on both his right and left hands, face, chest, and eyes.