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Bomb, guns found in Binjai
A black suitcase containing explosive material, assembled guns, magazines for SS1 and FNX 45 weapons, bullets and cable reels, was found on Saturday in Binjai, North Sumatra, just three days after President Joko âJokowiâ Widodo visited the city
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black suitcase containing explosive material, assembled guns, magazines for SS1 and FNX 45 weapons, bullets and cable reels, was found on Saturday in Binjai, North Sumatra, just three days after President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo visited the city.
The suitcase was found by a local resident named Desra Yuda near the final trash disposal site (TPA) in East Binjai. The location is quite far from the location where President made his visit.
'When I passed by the site, I saw that suitcase. And when I opened it, it contained bomb,' Desra told reporters.
He added that he informed nearby residents of his discovery. The residents immediately called the police.
Binjai Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Mulya Hakin Solihin said that the suitcase was currently being examined by North Sumatra's Gegana bomb squad.
'We're still investigating it, but the homemade bomb has been detonated by Gegana,' he told The Jakarta Post.
A squad from Gegana put the bomb, which was covered by brown tape, into a bomb bag and exploded it at the TPA. The guns, SS1 and FN45 magazines, bullets and other documents, Mulya said, had been secured by the police for further examination.
He said that he would increase security measures around the city following the discovery of the bomb, and that the police would find out who the bomb-maker was.
'We will cooperate with the North Sumatra Police and the anti-terror squad Densus 88,' he added.
The bomb was discovered just three days after Jokowi's visit to the city on Wednesday to inspect the progress in the development of the trans-Sumatra highway and the trans-Sumatra railway track. It is hoped that these infrastructure projects will lower logistics and transportation costs.
The trans-Sumatra railway track, which has been in planning for 30 years, will connect Aceh with North Sumatra and Riau and will extend for 1,574 kilometers. Meanwhile, the trans-Sumatra highway will see the construction of a toll road stretching 2,700 kilometers in length, connecting major cities in Sumatra from Aceh to Lampung.
North Sumatra Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Helfi Assegaf said that they would not jump to conclusions about whether or not the bomb could be linked to Jokowi's visit.
'We don't know yet because everything is still being investigated, and we should wait for the results,' he said.
He said that the bomb was seen as an act of terror, and requested residents to remain calm and report all suspicious acts to the police.
The last major terror attack to strike Indonesia happened in Jakarta in January when explosions and gunfire erupted near the Sarinah shopping center on Jl. MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta. Four civilians were killed in the attack.
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