Policeman shot dead in Solo shooting

Looking for evidence: Two officers from the Surakarta Police Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) unit examine the scene of the shooting - a police post near the Singosaren Plaza in Surakarta, Central Java, on Thursday night. Two unidentified men driving a motorcycle shot dead a police officer on Thursday at 9:15 p.m. It was the third attack on police officers in the city within two weeks. (Antara/Andika Betha)

A policeman was shot to death by unidentified gunmen at a police post in Surakarta, Central Java on Thursday evening, the latest in a string of shooting incidents in the city.

The victim, identified as Chief. Brig. Dwi Data, was on night guard at the Singosaren police post, when two unknown gunmen on a motorbike shot at the police post at around 9 p.m., according to witnesses.

“I heard six shots: four shots at the police post and the other two into the air,” a witness, Geger, said as quoted by Antara news agency.

Geger said that the two men rode their bike to the west of the police post.

Central Java Police chief Ins. Gen. Didiek S. Triwidodo said that Dwi was shot five times in his torso and hands.

“I call on the residents to be calm. We will soon investigate and arrest the perpetrators,” he said, as quoted by kompas.com.

In a series of what the government is referring to as “terrorist acts”, two policemen were injured when an unidentified man was reported to have shot at a police post in Gemblekan, Solo, on Aug. 17, coinciding with the country’s 67th anniversary. Seven spent cartridges were found at the scene.

A grenade was thrown at another police post in Gladak the next day, frightening locals living in the neighborhood.

Surakarta is known to be a hotbed of radical Islam, where many terrorists have either been detained or shot dead by police. (swd)