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Jokowi presses ahead with plan to visit Sibolga after terror arrest, raid
The President is scheduled to visit North Sumatra this weekend.
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Float on: President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo (left, on float) and First Lady Iriana wave to spectators as they travel on a float during the Wonderful Lake Toba Independence Carnival parade in Balige, Toba Samosir, North Sumatra. (JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)
T
he National Police have confirmed that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo will not cancel a scheduled work visit to North Sumatra on Friday, even after this week’s terror arrest and raid in Sibolga, where he is expected to inaugurate the newly expanded Sibolga Port on Sunday.
National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Dedi Prasetyo said the port city had been secured.
“President Jokowi will still visit as the situation is already under our control,” Dedi told reporters in Medan, North Sumatra, on Wednesday.
North Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Agus Adrianto denied speculation that the arrest and raid were related to the President’s scheduled visit.
“[It has] nothing to do with that. The incident was actually related to the arrest of a suspected terrorist in Lampung,” he said.
Early on Wednesday, the wife and child of suspected terrorist Husein aka Abu Hamzah blew themselves up in the family’s residence in Sibolga following Husein’s arrest. The explosion occurred while the police were negotiating with the wife, encouraging her, along with the child, to surrender to the police.
Abu Hamzah is suspected of being affiliated with outlawed homegrown pro-Islamic State (IS) terror group Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD). He was arrested after the National Police's Densus 88 counterterrorism squad received information from a JAD-linked terror suspect identified only as Ro in Lampung last weekend. Another suspect was also arrested after Ro.
During a terror raid at Husein’s house on Tuesday, a police officer was injured after an explosive device went off.
JAD was declared a “forbidden organization” by the government last year. The leader of the organization, Aman Abdurrahman, was sentenced to death last year for his role in inciting others to commit terror attacks in the country.
JAD was allegedly responsible for multiple deadly bombings in East Java and the killing of six police officers at the Mobile Brigade headquarters (Mako Brimob) in Depok, West Java, last year.
The police are gathering forensic evidence in the suspect’s residence. (das)
