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Two detained in priest attack
Police are still looking for a man allegedly involved in the attack on a Catholic priest, Benny Susetyo, after detaining two other suspects
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Police are still looking for a man allegedly involved in the attack on a Catholic priest, Benny Susetyo, after detaining two other suspects.
South Jakarta police chief Sr. Comr. Chairul Anwar told reporters Thursday the police had identified the third suspect in the case.
"We now know the identity of the third man, but he is still at large," he said.
The two assailants are being held at the Kebayoran Lama police station, he added. One suspect was brought in by residents after being apprehended near the crime scene soon after Monday's alleged attack.
Another suspect was arrested by police in Bogor the following day, Chairul said. The police chief declined to provide the names of the suspects or the fugitive.
Police were still questioning the two men, both around 26 years old, regarding the motive for the attack, he added.
"At the moment, all we know is that it was something personal, a problem between the victim and the suspects," Chairul said, adding it had nothing to do with money.
The suspects confessed to having masterminded the attack on their own, without an order from higher up, he added.
The nature of the dispute remains unclear as the victim has yet to recover and provide testimony.
The 40-year-old priest was allegedly kidnapped by three men in Bintaro on Monday evening and taken to the Mbok Berek chicken restaurant in Pondok Indah, South Jakarta, where he was beaten and later found.
He was then brought to Pondok Indah Hospital for treatment.
The Indonesian Bishops Council said Benny, who had been staying at a relative's house in Bintaro, needed to take a complete break from his duties for the next several days.
Romo (Father) Benny, an advocate for human rights and the freedom of religion, is one of the founders of Setara, a civil rights NGO, in addition to contributing a column for several newspapers.
