The police had arrested five individuals for spreading hoaxes on social media. All five were subsequently questioned.
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Kompas/Samuel Oktora
National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen. Syafruddin (left) visits Al Hidayah Muslim Boarding School caretaker Umar Basyri (center) on Wednesday (21/2) in Santiong, Cicalengka Kulon village, Cicalengka district, Bandung regency, West Java. Umar was a victim of an attack on Jan. 21, 2018 by A, 56. Syafruddin said the state guaranteed the safety of religious leaders, houses of worship and other public facilities.
SURABAYA, KOMPAS – In its investigation into the recent series of violent acts against religious leaders, the police said that it had arrested five individuals for spreading hoaxes on social media. All five were subsequently questioned.
National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian said on Wednesday (21/2/2018), on the sidelines of his official visit to Hiroshima, Japan, that the police were investigating the cases one by one, questioning suspects and studying the evidence.
“We have arrested the suspects. We are investigating the cases and no conclusions have been made,” Tito said, as reported by Kompas journalist Andy Riza Hidayat from Hiroshima.
National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen. Syafruddin reaffirmed that similar cases of violence had occurred in the past, and that hoaxes were being spread to make the recent series of incidents seem worse than they actually were and to cause public unrest.
After meeting with local clerics at the East Java Police headquarters in Surabaya, Syaffrudin said that there were indeed attacks on houses of worship and religious leaders. However, the number and sequence of events were not as claimed in the “fake news” that was spread on social media. He cited the widespread “reports” of 13 attacks against mosques and Muslim clerics occurring since Jan. 1, whereas only two confirmed attacks took place.
An unidentified assailant attacked caretaker KH Umar Basri at Al Hidayah Islamic Boarding School in Bandung. In a separate incident, a person who allegedly suffered from a mental illness assaulted and killed cleric Prawoto, the Bandung branch leader of Islamic mass organization Persatuan Islam (Persis).
However, Syaffrudin said, unverified reports were then spread that claimed similar cases had occurred in other cities and regencies in West Java. “Many of the [so-called] reported cases turned out to be hoaxes,” he said, following a meeting with Arif Nurul Huda Mosque clerics at the East Java Police headquarters.
In Jakarta, National Police criminal investigation head Comr. Gene. Ari Dono Sukmanto said that, amid the ongoing police investigation, the public should not form their own analyses and conclusions on the recent attacks. Ari said that the police would act swiftly against those using provocative language and using hoaxes to spread their views on social media.
“Hoaxes create fear and lead to unrest. We will take legal action against all hoax creators. We have arrested five individuals for spreading hoaxes on social media,” he said.
The five hoax suspects were identified as AA, apprehended in East Jakarta; YD and SU in Garut, West Java; YHA in Rangkasbitung, Banten; and SF in Lampung. The National Police cybercrime directorate carried out the arrests this month.
On Tuesday, Vice President Jusuf Kalla, who is also in Japan, noted the peculiarities he saw in the series of attacks, such as that the attacks all occurred within a short period of time and that the perpetrators were all reportedly suffering from mental disorders.
Kalla mentioned these peculiarities and suggested that the incidents might have been orchestrated by certain parties. Kalla said the police needed to resolve the cases in order to prevent wild speculation.
In Yogyakarta, Father Karl-Edmund Prier, who was attacked at St. Lidwina Church in Sleman regency, hoped that the ongoing investigation would serve as an opportunity to spread public awareness on the importance of preserving diversity. He said that he saw the increasing bond among different faiths in Yogyakarta as a silver lining.
This was one of the several important messages Prier conveyed during his meeting with Yogyakarta Police chief Brig. Gen. Ahmad Dofiri on Wednesday at Yogyakarta Police headquarters. He also thanked the police for their quick response to the incidents.
“Thank you to the National Police. I would also like to say that I hold no grudge whatsoever against my attacker,” he said after the meeting.
Prier added that he hoped the attacker, identified as Suliono, would soon realize the error of his ways. He also urged all Indonesians not to be frightened or worried if they were ever threatened.
