T

he North Sumatra Police are investigating reports that a shipment of guns may have been sent to Belawan seaport in North Sumatra for eventual delivery to Aceh.

The information was acquired following the arrest and questioning of two men apprehended in Hinai district on Saturday by police personnel from the Langkat Police Office.

The two men, identified as Syaiful Amri, 33, and Wahyudi, 39, both from East Aceh, were reportedly found in possession of two FN guns and 18 bullets.

They were arrested while in their car on their way to Belawan. They said that they were on their way to collect a package in Belawan.

Police operations have unveiled that many firearms are still circulating in the province.

With people worried about security and the media reporting violence on almost a daily basis, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has said he is monitoring escalating political tensions in Aceh following the recent fatal shootings in Aceh.

At least seven shootings, some of which were fatal, have taken place in Aceh in the past month.

Two of the shootings occurred on Dec. 31, 2011, with four fatalities. The first took place in the provincial capital of Banda Aceh, killing one. The second occurred in Bireun regency, about 250 kilometers east of Banda Aceh, which left three people dead.

Speculations have linked the incidents to the plan of Aceh incumbent Governor Irwandi Yusuf, a former GAM member, to seek re-election for a second term.

On Sunday the two suspects were transferred to Medan to undergo further questioning at the North
Sumatra Police headquarters.

“The police need to develop the case further. That’s why the two suspects are currently being detained at the North Sumatra office,” police spokesman Sn. Comr. Heru Prakoso told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

Asked about the origin of the shipment, Heru said this was still under investigation. He said the police needed to refrain from revealing information for fear of alerting other suspects.

“These guns were reportedly sent from abroad and were to be handed over by the suspects to someone in Aceh. We are looking into this report,” he said.

Asked whether there was any connection between the alleged weapons shipment and the recent spate of mysterious shootings in Aceh, he said the police could not be sure.

“We will coordinate with the Aceh Police to deal with this case,” he said, adding that the police had not ruled out a possible link between the suspects and the shootings.

The latest shooting incident occurred on Thursday when three construction workers in Simpang Anak Galong village in Aceh Besar regency were severely wounded by gunfire.

A 30-year-old construction contractor from Central Java, Gunoko, was the most recent victim in the month-long spate of shootings in Aceh, which many believe is somehow linked to the upcoming gubernatorial election.

Gunoko was shot on Saturday, bringing the death toll from the shootings to 17 since late last year.

According to the police, Saiful Amri had told them that he was just a courier tasked with scouting out the designated area at the seaport where he had been told to pick up the package.

He said that they had been carrying the FN guns as a precaution.