Indonesian police kill two terrorist suspects after fire in regency stat

APD NEWS

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By APD Writer Maverick

**JAKARTA, Nov. 12 (APD) ** — Indonesian police in West Sumatra province’s regency of Dharmasraya shot to death two men highly suspected of terrorists during a fire that gutted the regency’s police station on early Sunday.

Indonesian police headquarters spokesperson Rikwanto said that the two killed men were found by police in the premises of regency police station which razed by fire round 02.45 a.m. local time.

“The two men were clad in black, holding arrow bow,” Rikwanto said in his office on Sunday.

He added that they retaliated by firing arrows to the police after being ordered to surrender. Police then fired their guns at them after issuing warning shots several time into the air, Rikwanto added.

Police confiscated one bow, eight arrows, two bayonets, one small knife, one black glove and a paper with a note containing ‘jihad encouragement’ messages. The note was signed by the one called Abu Azzam Al Khoirbiliy.

Rikwanto said that investigation into possible relation between the fire in the police station and act of terrorism was underway at present.

According to Rikwanto, the fire in Dharmasraya police station came from back section of the building.

Indonesian Police Chief Tito Karnavian has endorsed deadly measure against suspects in terrorism case who refuse to surrender. He said that if their retaliation treating the life of police and civilians around the scene, police were justified to kill the suspect.

Indonesian Police previously killed two terrorists in a fire exchange with them in the nation’s Eastern region of West Nusa Tenggara province.

The shootout occurred in Mount Mawu Rite near the province’s Bima regency earlier this month. The slain terrorists were identified members of a terrorist groups Jamaal Ansharut Tauhid (JAT) and East Indonesia Mujahidin (MIT) whose leader Santoso was killed in July last year.

Police said that the slain terrorists were the ones who shot two police in Bima regency in September.

The next day after the shootout, police arrested five of the terrorists accomplices who supported their lives during their hideout in the mount after the shooting against the police.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)