Six Men Arrested on Suspicion of Burning Down a Police Station in East Java
Jakarta. Police in East Java have arrested six men suspected of setting fire to a police station in Tambelangan in Sampang district, Madura, on Wednesday night.
"After interrogating them on Sunday afternoon, we've now charged them with the crime [of arson]," East Java Police Chief Insp. Gen. Luki Hermawan told Antaranews.com at his residence in Surabaya on Sunday night.
"The mastermind is a cleric, A.K. He planned and prepared the whole thing," Luki said at the East Java Police headquarters in Surabaya on Monday.
The two-starred officer said A.K. commanded 70 people to march to the police station on Wednesday.
After the fire was started, another cleric reportedly blocked firefighters from putting it out.
The police are still hunting another six clerics who allegedly also took part in the burning down of the police station.
Evidence seized by the police so far includes 30 Molotov cocktails found at the crime scene.
The arsonists reportedly were upset that the police prevented them from traveling to Jakarta to take part in the May 21-22 demonstrations against Jokowi's re-election win.
They got more infuriated when they received a video from their friends in Jakarta who told them they were attacked by police during the riots.
Luki said the police expect to arrest more suspects in the case.
Sampang's Indonesian Ulema Council has supported the police's effort to crack down on the arsonists.
"There are still more suspects out there. We have ordered a team to arrest them," Luki said.
The police suspect that some of the arsonists are hiding in pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) in Sampang, a heavily Muslim area.
Luki called on the arsonists to surrender themselves to the local police station.
The Tambelangan police station was burned down by a mob on Wednesday night at around 10 p.m.
Another trigger to the incident was a hoax that a Madurese cleric in Jakarta had been arrested while attending the demonstrations on May 22.
The mob got even angrier and set fire to the police station by throwing Molotov cocktails.
The mob demanded that the Sampang police chief contact the police in Jakarta to release the cleric and also members of the mob who were arrested that same night.
"The Madurese cleric in Jakarta was contacted at 1 a.m. on Thursday, and he said he was fine," Luki said.
The mob, realizing they were fooled by a hoax, decided to break up and scatter.
Since then, the police have been trying to cool off the situation by visiting a number of prominent clerics in Tambelangan to tell them that the news of the Madurese cleric being arrested in Jakarta was a hoax.
The fire at the Tambelangan police station also destroyed two police cars, a private car, two police motorbikes and 10 other bikes belonging to the public.
The six suspects will be charged with Article 200, 187 and 170 of the Criminal Code, which carry a maximum penalty of five and a half years' imprisonment.
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