N

ational Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Agus Rianto said on Wednesday that the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) had been enlisted to help recapture four convicted terrorists who escaped from Tanjung Gusta Penitentiary in Medan, North Sumatra last week.

'€œThe escaped terrorists have caught the attention of our leaders and we will join forces with relevant institutions. With Interpol, we exchange information [about the terrorists] with police from other countries,'€ Agus said.

The terrorists, Fadli Sadama, Nibras, Agus Sunyoto and Abdul Gani Siregar, are among 218 prisoners who fled the prison on Thursday last week following a protest against poor facilities and a stricter policy on remissions.

The four convicts were part of a 16-man gang that made off with Rp 370 million (US$37,000) from a CIMB Niaga Bank in Medan and launched an attack on Hamparan Perak Police station in Deli Serdang regency in 2010.

They were linked to influential terrorist Toni Togar, who masterminded a series of church bombings in Pekanbaru and Medan in 2000.

As of Wednesday, local authorities recaptured 103 inmates. Several of them were arrested in neighboring provinces, Aceh and Riau.

Many were concerned that the escaped terrorists had sought protection in other provinces or abroad.