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Ucok says the attack was unplanned
Second Sgt
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econd Sgt. Ucok Tigor Simbolon, one of the three main defendants in the killing of four detainees at Cebongan penitentiary in Sleman, Yogyakarta, said he shot dead the detainees because he was in the middle of war exercises and that is why he had a gun with him.
'After the war exercises are over I usually do not carry a gun,' Ucok told the trial at the II-11 Yogyakarta Military Court on Tuesday.
During the trial, which was presided by military judge Lt. Col. Djoko Sasmito, both the panel of judges and the military prosecutors tried to obtain information to make sure if Ucok and the other two main defendants did commit premeditated murder.
The other two main defendants were Second Sgt. Sugeng Sumar-yanto and First Corporal Kodik. They are three of 12 members of the Army's Special Force (Kopassus) Group 2 Kandang Menjangan in Kartosuro, Central Java, who are standing trial for the prison attack.
Ucok said that he decided to go to Yogyakarta to look for Marcel when he was joining the war exercise on the slope of Mount Lawu in Karanganyar, Central Java, because he was angry.
He said he had the feeling of being abused because of the killing of Chief Sgt. Heru Santoso, who was his superior at Kandang Menjangan and had as helped him when he had malaria in Papua, and the stabbing of First Sgt. Sriyono, who had saved his life when both were assigned to Aceh. Both incidents happened only in few days.
Heru was reported to have been killed by Deki and friends (the four killed detainees) while Sriyono was reported to have been stabbed by Marcel and friends.
Ucok, who is a proficient shooter, said he did not know which parts of the bodies of the detainees that he shot at, arguing he was in a state of being unable to think clearly. He said he did the shootings because of his reflex after being attacked with a crutch.
Separately, answering military prosecutor Lt. Col Budiharto's question, Sugeng said that such a crutch attack was not worth deadly shootings while defendant Kodik said Ucok was no longer capable of thinking clearly.
Meanwhile, the detainees presented as witnesses all said that Ucok had shouted Deki's name as he approached the penitentiary's Blok A5 cell, where the killings took place.
The next trial is scheduled for July 31, with the main agenda of prosecutors reading out demands.
