Two policemen wounded during prayers in a Jakarta mosque, attacker killed
Indonesian sympathisers of the Islamic State group target law enforcement. The attacker joined 20 policemen for Friday prayer before launching his attack. He was killed trying to escape. Lawmakers plan to revise the country’s anti-terrorism law before the end of the year. The Widodo administration pursues its anti-terrorism campaign.
Jakarta (AsiaNews) – A man attacked two police officers at a mosque near the National Police headquarters in South Jakarta on Friday evening. A third officer killed the attacker as he tried to escape. This is the latest apparent terrorist attack on law enforcement officers in less than a week.
National Police Public Relations Head Inspector, General Setyo Wasisto, said that the attacker, identified as one Mulyadi from Bekasi (West Java), joined the night prayer with about 20 officers from the Mobile Brigade at the Falatehan Mosque, which is about 75 metres from the police headquarters, near the Blok M shopping area in south Jakarta.
National Police Spokesman Senior Commander Martinus Sitompul said that the two police officers were completing their prayers when the attacker suddenly stabbed them using a bayonet, shouting ‘Thogut’, an Arabic word that literally means 'idolator'.
The victims were struck on the neck and face but survived, whilst the suspect threatened those present not to help the wounded. After he fled the mosque, he went to the nearby bus station. Here he was confronted by another police officer who fired a warning shot. When the attacker tried to stab him shouting "Allahu Akbar!", the police officer fired, killing the aggressor.
Indonesian sympathisers of the Islamic State (IS) group, thought to be acting on the orders of Bahrun Naim, have targeted law enforcement forces in the past two years in a series of low-profile attacks.
On 25 June, two attackers linked to IS stormed a police station in Medan, North Sumatra, killing an agent. The day before, two suicide bombers killed three policemen at a bus station in Kampung Melayu, East Jakarta.
At present, Indonesia’s People's Representative Council, the lower house of parliament, is rewriting the country’s anti-terrorism legislation in order to give police greater powers to tackle the terrorist threat. This follows another attack last year in Jakarta.
In an attempt to stem growing extremism, the administration of President Widodo has also launched a campaign against the most extremist movements.
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