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Mako Brimob riot: National security top brass depart for Brimob HQ
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Police officers close the road in front of the Mobile Brigade headquarters (Mako Brimob) in Depok, West Java on Wednesday. At least five officers were reportedly killed in the standoff with inmates. (JP/Ricky Yudhistira)
T
op national security officials including Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto, National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) chief Comr. Gen. Suhardi Alius, State Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief Budi Gunawan and Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Air Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto departed for the Mobile Brigade headquarters (Mako Brimob) in Kelapa Dua, Depok, West Java, on Wednesday afternoon following a prison riot that killed five members of National Police Densus 88 counterterrorism squad.
The officials left Wiranto’s office at around 2:30 p.m. on a bus headed for the National Monument (Monas) compound where a helicopter was on standby to fly them to Mako Brimob.
"It’s indeed a very urgent situation since some [people] have been killed," Wiranto told journalists before leaving.
He, however, refused to provide further details. "This [incident] should be taken with caution because it is related to our national security."
The Islamic State (IS) group claimed that its fighters were involved in the standoff, according to an intelligence group monitoring extremists on social media. Five Densus 88 members have been confirmed dead while another member is being held hostage. A terrorism convict has also been killed.
The clash at the Mako Brimob detention center took place a day after the National Police apprehended three individuals in Bogor, West Java, for allegedly plotting a string of attacks on police stations at three different locations across the conservative province. (swd)
