Police Kill Three, Arrest Five Terror Suspects in Java
Jakarta. The National Police's elite counterterrorism unit, Detachment 88, shot dead three suspected terrorists in Sleman, Yogyakarta, and arrested another five in Indramayu, West Java, on Saturday (14/07).
The shooting in Yogyakarta occurred when suspects armed with machetes and a firearm allegedly attacked officers while being pursued, National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Mohammad Iqbal said.
"They were a danger to the officers and nearby civilians, so officers were forced to open fire on them," Iqbal said in a statement received by the Jakarta Globe.
He added that two officers were wounded in the attack, and that the police have seized four machetes and a revolver.
Five suspected terrorists arrested in four locations in Indramayu were found in possession of 100 kilograms of chemicals used in the production of explosives.
The suspects in Yogyakarta and Indramayu are all believed to be members of Jamaah Ansharut Daulah, a local terrorist group linked to Islamic State.
The group was responsible for a series of terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of dozens of people in Surabaya, East Java, in May this year.
The Indramayu branch of the group reportedly broke into the offices of the local police early on Sunday morning in retaliation for Saturday's arrests. They managed to evade arrest.
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