TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Two killed in Uzbek terror suspects' attempted escape in North Jakarta
The men were originally arrested by authorities earlier this month, alongside a fourth Uzbek suspect, for allegedly spreading terrorism propaganda online.
Change Size
This is a drill: Personnel from the National Police’s antiterrorism squad Densus 88 take action against a simulated terrorist in an exercise in Lebak Bulus MRT station in South Jakarta on Wednesday. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
A
n attempt by three Uzbek terrorism suspects to escape from a detention centre in North Jakarta left an immigration officer and one of the men dead, police said Tuesday, with the surviving suspects rearrested.
The men were originally arrested by authorities earlier this month, alongside a fourth Uzbek suspect, for allegedly spreading terrorism propaganda online.
They were linked to the al-Qaeda-affiliated Katiba al Tawhid wal Jihad group, according to the National Police.
The three suspects fled from the North Jakarta Immigration detention centre early on Monday after attacking officers, including members of an anti-terrorism squad, with a knife that they stole from a pantry, said police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Aswin Siregar.
Police immediately launched a manhunt to hunt the men down, rearresting two of them, Aswin added. One of the men drowned after jumping into a river, he said.
An immigration officer was killed and three others were severely wounded in the escape attempt, he said.
"They broke into the ceiling and went after the officers, who were eating their Ramadan pre-dawn meal and were preparing to perform prayers," said Aswin.
"In the initial interrogation, we found that they planned an escape after being visited by Uzbek consular officers. They did not want to be deported because they were facing a heavy sentence (in Uzbekistan)," he added.
Uzbekistan's embassy in Jakarta did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.
The central Asian country has implemented strict measures to combat armed groups and religious extremism, and has been accused of using excessive force -- including torture and arbitrary detention -- by human rights groups.
