Jakarta. Police continue to investigate allegations of blasphemy against Islamic Defenders Front, or FPI, leader Rizieq Shihab, with investigators collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses.

"The police are still questioning witnesses. We need to gather more evidence first, then we will present the case to the public," Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Raden Argo Yuwono said on Monday (16/01).

Argo did not disclose details of evidence already collected.

The senior official also said investigators are still examining the video evidence at the National Police’s digital forensic unit.

“The video must be examined by information technology experts, whether it is authentic, how it was taken. We should ask the experts,” Argo said.

The police have also collected statements of the claimant — the central leadership committee of the Indonesian Catholic Students Association (PMKRI).

Argo said the police are going to summon Rizieq, but must first follow all procedures required.

"The process takes time. It is not governed by whim, but procedures. Just wait," he added.

The FPI cleric Rizieq Shihab is facing a series of police reports, ranging from blasphemy and hate speech to defamation.

He was recently reported again to the Jakarta Police for a speech that went viral on social media in which he allegedly claimed that the new rupiah banknotes feature the communist hammer-and-sickle symbol.

Several watchdog organizations and experts have called on the National Police to fast-track the investigations against him.