T

he Central Sulawesi Police chief on Friday defended his subordinates' action of opening fire on a terror suspect on Monday, which incited anger from residents in Poso.

Officers from the National Police's Densus 88 counterterrison unit shot dead Poso resident Nudin alias Bondan, who was believed to be a member of the Santoso-led terror group as well as the Abu Roban-led group in Central Java.

Brig. Gen. Ari Dono Sukmanto told The Jakarta Post in an interview that the actions taken by Densus 88 officers was in line with standard operating procedures.

'My officers in the field would not take any arbitrary actions. The situation in Poso is different from those in other places. If we let our guard down, we will be attacked,' he said, recalling the shooting of five Mobile Brigade (Brimob) officers in December.

'Members of terror groups not only use weapons but bombs as well.'

Commenting on claims by angry residents who said that Nudin did not resist arrest nor shot at the police officers ambushing him, Ari said that it was the residents' right to make such speculation.

'But one thing's for sure, when my officers chased him down, he slammed his motorcycle into the car chasing him,' he insisted.

'Nudin fell and then went into the alley while shooting at my officers. That's why they retaliated by opening fire on him,' he said.

The police chief also said that the police had evidence of a gun and six bullets.

Ari welcomed a plan by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) to investigate the shooting, which may entail a human rights violation.

'Please do. It is their duty to investigate and we will be cooperative,' Ari said.

 He maintained that what the police did was to eliminate one person to prevent further victims.

Ari said that Nudin was part of a group led by Santoso, also known as Abu Wardah.

'We are still looking for Santoso as he is the leader of an armed group that terrorizes Poso,' he said.

'At the same time, Nudin is also a member of a group led by Abu Roban, who leads a terror group in Java.'

 Nudin, Ari said, was mandated to supply all the logistics needed by Santoso's group.

'It is true that Nudin's regular job was selling fish in the market. But did he tell his family about his activities besides selling fish in the market?' Ari asked, defying Nudin's family's claim that the terror suspect was a mere fish monger.

'My officers took action based on investigations and the confessions from several witnesses who were arrested in Java.'

The police chief acknowledged that Nudin, who took part in an exercise in Gunung Biru, Tamanjeka, in Poso Pesisir district, wanted to seek revenge on the police.

'Nudin started to flex his muscles after one of his younger brothers, Andi Brekele, was killed in a police raid in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara.

'He worked silently this whole time, nearly unnoticed,' he said.

According to Ari, Nudin plotted his revenge by arranging the suicide bomber attack at the Poso Police headquarters.

'We have yet to identify the suicide bomber but we are still investigating the attack,' he said.

'We are still waiting for results from a DNA test carried out by the National Police' forensics laboratory.'