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One killed in clash between terrorist inmates, John Kei gang

One prisoner was killed and three others injured in a clash between convicted terrorists and members of a prison gang led by notorious gangland boss John Kei at Permisan Penitentiary on the maximum-security Nusakambangan prison island in Central Java on Tuesday

Agus Maryono (The Jakarta Post)
Cilacap, Central Java
Thu, November 9, 2017 Published on Nov. 9, 2017 Published on 2017-11-09T00:49:27+07:00

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One killed in clash between terrorist inmates, John Kei gang

O

ne prisoner was killed and three others injured in a clash between convicted terrorists and members of a prison gang led by notorious gangland boss John Kei at Permisan Penitentiary on the maximum-security Nusakambangan prison island in Central Java on Tuesday.

Tumbur Bondy, the inmate who died on his way to a hospital after the clash, was a member of the John Kei gang. John himself, who is a murder convict, was also wounded in the incident.

The prison authority confirmed that the brawl was triggered by a long-standing rivalry between the two groups of inmates. However, they did not disclose which terrorist group was involved in the brawl as the local police were still investigating the incident.

The incident started when a group of nine convicted terrorists attacked a cell in cellblock B, which housed John, at around 7:50 a.m., said Permisan warden Yan Rusmanto. The inmates, according to Yan, also carried wooden beams and stones they had obtained from a construction project near the cellblock.

“The clash was a culmination of growing hatred between the two groups. They have been rivals since they served their sentences at Batu Penitentiary [also on the island]. The hostility remained after they were both transferred to Permisan,” Yan said.

John, also known as John Refra, was one of the most influential gang leaders in Jakarta’s underworld. He is currently serving a 16-year sentence for his involvement in the murder of businessman Tan Harry Tantono, aka Ayung, in Jakarta in 2012.

The police questioned at least 25 individuals as of Wednesday to investigate what had happened that day on the island, which is located some 3 kilometers from downtown Cilacap and is home to convicts with sentences of more than five years.

“We are currently investigating both inmates and prison guards who witnessed the incident,” Cilacap Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Djoko Julianto told journalists on Wednesday.

The 210-square-km prison island has several penitentiaries located some 3 to 5 km away from one another, for instance, Permisan, Batu, Pasir Putih, Besi, Kembang Kuning and a special narcotics prison. All come with maximum-security measures, accommodating a total of about 1,500 inmates, including 70 convicted terrorists and 50 death-row inmates.

Tuesday’s clash added to the long list of riots that have occurred behind bars in the past years, which are believed to be a result of poor prison management, overcrowding and rampant unauthorized fees.

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