Jakarta - Unidentified plotters linked to
recent violent protests against Indonesia's president planned to
kill at least four of the country's most senior security
officials, police said on Tuesday.
Police announced on Monday they had arrested six people
suspected of plotting to assassinate four officials during chaos
surrounding protests against the confirmation last week of
President Joko Widodo's election victory.
National police chief Tito Karnavian on Tuesday revealed the
identity of the four allegedly targeted for assassination: the
chief security minister, head of the intelligence agency, chief
maritime minister and a special presidential security adviser.
Karnavian declined to reveal more details of the plot, or
say who was suspected of being behind it.
"We are still looking into who masterminded the plot and
soon we will prosecute them," Karnavian told a joint news
conference with one of the targets - chief security minister
Wiranto.
Last week, eight people were killed and more than 900 hurt
in two nights of clashes between supporters of defeated
presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto and security forces.
Security officials said they believe the violence, which
broke out after Widodo was confirmed the winner of last month's
presidential election, was organised by several groups,
including one linked to Islamic State and another to a retired
special forces general accused of smuggling weapons to Jakarta.
National police spokesman Muhammad Iqbal said on Monday that
six suspected assassins had been arrested - five men and a woman
- some of whom had carried weapons at last week's protests.
He said the six had been paid 150 million rupiah ($10,434)
but did not say by whom. They had been charged with possession
of weapons, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
"The assassination plot is intended to create fear ... we
are working according to procedure and our intention is to
safeguard national security," Wiranto told the news conference.
COURT CHALLENGE
Police said the suspects had revealed the identity of the
targets - intelligence agency chief Budi Gunawan, Maritime
Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan and special adviser to the
president, Gories Mere, as well as Wiranto, during
interrogation.
The suspects had also carried out surveillance on the head
of a private polling firm. On election day, several pollsters
had showed Widodo winning the election based on a "quick count"
of a sample of votes cast.
On Monday, police showed reporters a number of weapons they
said they had seized from the suspects including a rifle with a
telescopic sight which they said was homemade.
Calm has returned to the capital after last week's protests
but 40,000 police and soldiers remain on duty. Restrictions on
social media to prevent the spread of hoaxes have been lifted.
Prabowo's political party, Gerindra, denied any links to the
clashes and accused the police of brutality against their
supporters.
Prabowo alleged "massive cheating and irregularities" in the
election and refused to concede defeat. Election authorities
said Widodo won more than 85 million of the 154 million votes
cast.
Prabowo, a former special forces commander, has challenged
the result in the Constitutional Court. It is due to deliver a
verdict on June 28.