Imprisoned radical cleric Aman, who is also a supporter of the Islamic State (IS), is  also facing another trial on the 2016 suicide bombing on Jl. MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta.

The South Jakarta court’s presiding judge, Akhmad Jaini, asked the five officers, M. Ersyad Alfart, M. Novriansyah, Purwoko, M. Rizki and Kandinan Malin, about the state of the Kampung Melayu bus terminal moments before the blast occurred on May 24, 2017. Three of their colleagues, who were escorting a traditional parade to welcome the Islamic fasting month of Ramadhan, were killed in the blast.

Ersyad explained that he and several police officers were waiting for the parade, which had been scheduled to pass the terminal in the evening. Nothing peculiar had happened at that time, but at around 8:50 p.m., the police officers heard two explosions from a nearby Transjakarta bus stop.

“After the explosions, I saw the bodies of my friends, Taufan, Gilang and Ridho, lying on the street,” Ersyad recalled, adding that shortly after, another explosion occurred.

Witness Purwoko said the three victims were at a parking area near the bus stop, when the blast took place.

“Around 25 minutes before the incident happened, I talked with Taufan, while I was repositioning my motorcycle,” Purwoko said as reported by kompas.com.

The cleric has been serving his sentence in Nusakambangan maximum security prison in Central Java since 2010 for raising funds for a militant training camp in Aceh province. (vny)

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