In the latest crackdown on the country’s terror network, the police’s antiterror squad has reportedly arrested two university students as terrorist suspects.
The two students, identified as brothers Abdul Rohman and Abdur Rochim, were apprehended Monday at separate locations in Surakarta, Central Java, according to their father, Warno.
Rohman was reportedly arrested by officers from Detachment 88 — the police antiterror unit — near their house in the sub-district of Kadipiro in Solo and Rochim was arrested on his university campus in Kartasura, Sukoharjo.
The police confiscated a personal computer and dozens of compact discs as evidence from the house.
National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Edward Aritonang told The Jakarta Post he had not received official information about the arrest. “I’m still trying to verify it,” the officer said.
Warno said he had received a phone-call from Rohman while he was at work and was told that the latter could not enter their house because the door was locked. Warno then told his son to come fetch the key.
“But Rohman never showed up. I then called him but he did not pick up his cell phone.
“When I got home, he was not there,” he said, adding that he had then gone home only to find that his sons had been arrested by the police.
“There were already people introducing themselves as members of Detachment 88 when I got home.
They said my children had received a package of CDs but I don’t know what they contained. The officers asked for my permission to seize the CDs from Rochim’s room,” Warno said.
He said the police officers had came to his house Tuesday to deliver arrest warrants for Rohman and Rochim. The warrants were signed by Detachment 88 chief Brig. Gen. Tito Karnavian.
According to the warrants, the two were charged under the 2003 Antiterrorism Law.
Warno said he had no reason to believe his sons were involved in terrorist activities.
Both of his sons, he said, were engineering students at Surakarta Muhammadiyah University, which was later confirmed by the university’s legal affairs director, Sudaryono.
He said the university would provide legal assistance for Rohman and Rochim.
“All terrorism allegations about the two have yet to be proven. It is our moral responsibility to help them,” Sudaryono said.
He said the two had recorded good grades at university. “Rohman was about to graduate. He did very well on his final exam.
“Rochim is in his second year. His grades are quite good. He is part of a robotics team that plans to participate in a robotics competition soon,” Sudaryono said.
The latest terrorist raid by the police occurred in Sukoharjo. Anti-terror officers raided a battery shop being used as a hideout in Baki Pandeyan village, Sukoharjo, Central Java, last Thursday.
Three suspects, identified as Hamid Agung Wibowo, Joko Purwanto and Erwin Suratman, were arrested and flown to Jakarta. The police also seized two firearms and hundreds of bullets in the raid.
On Friday, the police arrested Heri Suranto at his house in Surakarta, Central Java. Heri was an employee at Islam I Senior High School in Surakarta.
The police seized two personal computers belonging to Heri. He was charged under the terrorism law for keeping documents about terrorism and other information on terrorist suspects.
The police have arrested 60 terrorist suspects and killed 13 others since January this year.
— Bagus BT Saragih contributed to the story from Jakarta
