Suspects' wives in robbery, blast case to sue police
Suspects' wives in robbery, blast case to sue police
JAKARTA (JP): Wives of four suspects in the April 15 robbery and bomb blast in West Jakarta say they will sue the Jakarta Police for arresting their spouses without warrants and preliminary evidence.
On Monday, the four housewives insisted their husbands, who were arrested a day after the incidents, were not at the crime scenes when the robbery and explosion took place.
The women, who were accompanied by a group of five activists and lawyers from Bogor, did not provide further details.
Coordinator of the Bogor team Nanang Subana Dirja said the arrest of Ichwan, Edi Rohadi, Jahid and Naiman at their homes in Warung Menteng village, Cijeruk district, Bogor, was illegal.
He told the meeting at Kedai Tempo Cafe on Jl. Utan Kayu, East Jakarta, that the team was yet to decide when to sue the city police for the improper arrest.
Nanang said his grouping, called the Fact Finding Team, involved members of several Bogor-based organizations, comprising the Ampera Legal Aid Institute, Indonesia Farmers Solidarity, the Human Rights Defense Committee and Indonesia Solidarity.
The team was set up on April 21, one week after the incidents.
He said, based on the team's findings, the four men were not in the locales when the blast and the robbery occurred.
"Several people have testified that they were not there."
He said Ichwan, Edi and Jahid were at different locations in West Jakarta. Ichwan was in Cengkareng, his friend Edi was at his parents' house on Jl. Keamanan Dalam and Jahid was at his parents' house on Jl. Sederhana Dalam.
Naiman was teaching at SMUN 15 senior high school on Jl. R.E. Marthadinata in North Jakarta, Nanang said.
The women and their counsel later went to City Police Headquarters to meet chief Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman.
However, at the headquarters, Noegroho refused to meet the delegation, team member Aweng B said.
The blast occurred at about 11:10 a.m at Hayam Wuruk Plaza on Jl. Hayam Wuruk. About 15 minutes later, the robbery, which was subsequently foiled, occurred at a Bank Central Asia branch on Jl. Keamanan, some 500 meters from the blast scene.
Police have officially named Amir's group as the responsible party for the blast and attempted robbery.
As of Monday, police had apprehended 21 people believed to be members of the group.
The group's leader, Amir, alias Edi Rianto alias Umar, and his bodyguard Wawan, were still at large, City Police spokesman Lt. Col. Zainuri Lubis said on Monday.
"Both are believed to have left Jakarta and are probably hiding somewhere in Surakarta (Central Java)," Lubis said, adding that Amir's second wife was a resident of the city.
Amir is said to be the leader of Angkatan Mujahiddin Islam Nusantara (AMIN), a group which reportedly provided military- style training to its members in their headquarters in Caringin Maseng.
According to Nanang, the Cijeruk building was not a base for the group, as reported by police.
"It's an open plot and located on a hill near a railway track," he said.
Families and relatives of the arrested suspects are yet to be granted permission to visit the detainees held at City Police Headquarters in South Jakarta. (jun/emf)