Police still pursuing one of two suspected SCTV tower bombers

The Jakarta Police are still hunting one of two men who were allegedly involved in throwing a Molotov cocktail bomb at the office of private-run TV station SCTV, next to Senayan City shopping center in South Jakarta, on Saturday at around 4 p.m.

Although the bomb did not explode, it shattered window glasses on the second floor of the SCTV Tower, the building’s official name. No injuries were reported.

The Jakarta Police detained a suspect identified as Budiyanto, 30, of Pondok Labu, South Jakarta, on Saturday.

He was initially arrested by SCTV Tower security officers when he tried to escape after throwing the Molotov cocktail toward the building. Another suspect fled the scene on a motorcycle when his partner was apprehended.

Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto told reporters that current investigations indicated that Budiyanto apparently suffered from a mental disorder.

“After being fired from his job as a mason at Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, Budiyanto became stressed,” Rikwanto said.

Budiyanto, the spokesman added, also frequently struck his parents and neighbors at his former residence in Cilandak, South Jakarta. After doing so, angry neighbors forced him to move out of their area.

“In addition, they also suggested Budiyanto’s parents seek medical help for him,” Rikwanto said.

The police spokesman also said that the latest investigations indicated that Budiyanto was not related to any terrorist group.

“We did not find any books on terrorism when we raided his boarding house in Pondok Labu,” he said.

According to the spokesman, the police will immediately summon his parent for questioning. The police have also scheduled psychological tests for Budiyanto. (riz/iwa)