Terrorists, Densus 88 Engage in Shootout at Kaliurang, Yogyakarta

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian counter-terrorism unit Densus 88 neutralized three suspected terrorists at the Kaliurang Street at Yogyakarta on Saturday afternoon, July 14, after engaging in a brief shootout with the terrorists in the vicinity of a local State Official office.

According to Densus 88, the three terrorists suspects is believed to be linked to the five terror suspects that the unit arrested previously in Sleman and Bantul on Wednesday, July 11. However, police are still investigating this case.

“The whereabouts of the three terrorists was a follow up to the five terrorists captured earlier,” said Adj. Grand Comm. Yulianto, Yogyakarta Police spokesman on Saturday, July 14.

According to eyewitness testimony of the shootout, one of the terror suspects was shot the local meeting hall with another suspect hijacking a truck passing-by but was stopped after the truck entered a dead-end street in Kaliurang.

Another eyewitness, Birowo, said that the suspect then exited the truck and took hostage of his sister Sulis Khusnul (35) by wrapping her neck with a sickle. Fortunately, Sulis was able to free herself after a tense hour.

Furthermore, from the information we received, three out of four terrorists that the Densus 88 were chasing were killed, meanwhile one suspect managed to flee the scene. Densus members confiscated one firearm and five machetes from the suspects.

PRIBADI WICAKSONO