T

he Muslim Defense Team (TPM) says it is providing legal counsel to the Islamic boarding school official in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara, who was named a terror suspect.

Abrory, 31, the head of Umar bin Khattab Islamic boarding school, was detained by the police after a bomb explosion killed the school’s treasurer on July 11.

Three TPM team members, including Abrory’s father and a relative, came to NTB Police headquarters on Monday to visit Abrory, who has been held in detention since July 15.

“The power of attorney has been made. Abrory’s family contacted us for legal counsel,” TPM team member Ahmad Kholiq told reporters outside NTB Police headquarters on Monday.

Kholiq arrived with TPM members Ahmad Michdan and Jimmy Abdullah; Abrory’s father, M. Ali Ghani, and a relative, Hadi Santoso.

According to Kholiq, TPM was currently only providing counsel to Abrory and not to the four other suspects also in custody.

“We have come to the NTB Police headquarters to meet the NTB Police chief [Brig. Gen. Aruf Wachyunadi] to find out the core of the issue. We also want to see Abrory,” he said.

Kholiq declined to discuss the specifics of the case, saying that the TPM was responding to a request for counsel from Abrory’s family.

“The TPM obviously has never sought to handle a specific case except when we are contacted for legal counsel,” he said.

The police named Abrory a terror suspect based on evidence collected by investigators at the school, including bombs, explosive materials, edged weapons and a number of documents on jihad.

Officials also named four other suspects in the case: Rahmat Ibnu Umar, 36, a caretaker; and students Sa’ban, 18, Rashmad Hidayat, 26, and Mustakim Abdullah, 17.

“The five suspects have been charged with violating Articles 6, 7, 9 and 13 of the Law on Terrorism,” NTB Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Sukarman Husen said.