Aceh Police Appeal for Public’s Help Finding Suspected Terrorists

Banda Aceh, TAG. Aceh Police on Sunday revealed the identities of seven suspected terrorists in the hopes that the public could offer information that would lead to their arrests and help with investigations into the armed paramilitary group believed to be operating there. 



Aceh Police Chief Insp. Gen. Aditya Warman said photographs of the seven alleged terrorists were distributed at public locations across the province, including at all district and subdistrict police offices. 



The suspects were identified as Abu Yusuf, a k a Mustaqim; Ubaid, a k a Adi or Jakfar; Ziad, a k a Deni Suramto or Toriq; Tono, a k a Rahmad or Bayu Seno; Pandu, a k a Abu Asma; Abu Rimba, a k a Munir or Abu Uteuen; and Usman, a k a Gito. 



“Those named on the wanted persons list are most likely still in Aceh,” Aditya said. 



“Their photos have been released to the public so they can report to police immediately if they see them.” 

He said the names of the seven suspects were revealed during the questioning of other suspected terrorists arrested since the police launched a crackdown in the region on Feb. 22. 



The police have so far arrested 28 people and killed four others.

Aditya said police were still investigating the seven men’s exact roles in the paramilitary group found to be training in a remote area of Jalin Jantho in Aceh Besar district. 



“We are still chasing them to find out how important they are,” he said. “Police all over Aceh have been ordered to stay alert to anticipate the possibility of these alleged terrorists infiltrating other areas.” 



Police have set up road blocks across Aceh Besar to restrict the paramilitary group’s movement. At each checkpoint, armed police officers have been stopping and checking all vehicles. 



Zulfikar Muhammad, divisional head for the Coalition of Aceh Human Rights NGOs, said he expected the police to uphold the presumption of innocence and human rights in conducting their operations. 



“The Aceh Police chief must explain in detail the specific characteristics of the alleged terrorists, because if the police are only judging them by their looks, it could have a negative impact on people with beards, wearing robes or frequently attending Koranic recitals,” he said. 



Zulfikar said the police needed to clarify their position because a lot of people in Aceh, including religious scholars, students and activists, could be affected by the current crackdown. 



“We can’t let our Islamic scholars be treated unfairly during the police sweeps because this could trigger an even worse situation,” he said. “I sincerely believe that Islamic scholars and all Acehnese people are against any group using violence in the name of religion.” 



Meanwhile, the bodies of two suspects shot dead by police in Aceh Besar on Friday were flown to Jakarta on Sunday morning to be identified by their families.[]