Police release 13 Islamic school attack suspects
Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Depok | Jakarta | Thu, September 06 2012, 5:23 PM
Depok police have released 13 suspects of the attack on Mashadul Al Musthatobah Islamic boarding school in Curug, Bojongsari District, Depok, West Java last month.
According to Depok police Chief Sr. Comr. Mulyadi Kaharni, they decided to release the suspects since they were all minors and the police had received letters from neighborhood and community unit chiefs, sub-district heads and schools that guaranteeing they would be in charge of supervising them and that they would not repeat the same mistakes.
“We have to put their future into consideration. They only chimed in. They were not the main actors in the attack,” Mulyadi said on Thursday.
He said the police had yet to uncover the main perpetrator behind the incident. “We are still investigating the case. I hope we can reveal the main culprit soon,” Mulyadi said.
On Sunday a mob knocked down a school wall, tore down the steel gates and burned two pavilions after they learned that Fauzan, the principal cleric, had sexually harassed student M, now 19, since 2009 and forced her to engage in an unofficial Islamic marriage, known as nikah siri.
Depok police have arrested Fauzan and charged him under article 81 of 2002 Law No. 23 on Children’s Rights Protection for sexually abusing a minor. Fauzan could face a maximum 15 years imprisonment.(iwa)
