Trained and Coordinated: Sulphuric Acid Attack on KontraS Activist Carried Out with Calm Deliberation
Metro Jaya Police suspect the perpetrators of a sulphuric acid attack on KontraS (Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence) deputy coordinator Andrie Yunus were professionally trained operatives.
Kombes Iman Imanuddin, Director of General Criminal Investigation at Metro Jaya Police, stated that the attackers remained remarkably calm and exhibited no signs of panic. “Were they part of a trained network? Over several days, we conducted digital analysis and observed that these perpetrators displayed deliberate composure,” he said at a press conference on Monday, 16 March.
“They moved systematically from one point to another in the lead-up to the incident,” he added. Imanuddin noted that even after attacking Yunus with sulphuric acid, the perpetrators fled without panic, each following predetermined escape routes.
“After the incident, both motorcycles departed at speeds higher than their pre-attack movement patterns,” he explained, suggesting a coordinated and trained operation.
The attack occurred on Thursday, 12 March, in central Jakarta. KontraS coordinator Dimas Bagus Arya revealed that Yunus was assaulted after attending a podcast event titled “Remilitarisation and Judicial Review in Indonesia” at the offices of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), around 23.00 hours.
“He suffered a sulphuric acid attack by unknown assailants that caused serious injuries across his body, particularly on both hands, face, chest and eyes,” Dimas stated in a written statement on Friday, 13 March.
Yunus was immediately taken to hospital for medical treatment. Medical examinations confirmed he sustained 24 per cent burns across his body.
Dimas provided descriptions of the suspected attackers. The first perpetrator wore a white-blue combination shirt, dark trousers believed to be jeans, and a black helmet. The second suspect, the pillion passenger, wore a black face covering resembling a neck gaiter that covered half the face, a dark blue shirt, and blue jeans folded to appear shorter.