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April 20, 2006
Indonesia: Man Arrested For Shooting Christian Girls Was Policeman
Back on November 8 last year, we reported how two Christian girls were shot in the head at close range in Poso, Central Sulawesi. Some reports at that time suggested the girls had died, but miraculously they survived. Their attack came shortly after the decapitation of three Christian schoolgirls in Poso on October 29. The attacks came as the first signs of increasing intolerance against Christians in the region. Sulawesi had formerly been involved in severe Muslim and Christian sectarian violence, part of the wider Moluccan war, which went on from 1999 to 2002.
It now appears, from the always excellent blogsite Dog Pundit, from last Friday, that the attempted murderer of the two girls in the shooting attack has finally been revealed as a local policeman. I refer you to the Dog Pundit site for all the information contained there in an article from the Jakarta Post.
Last Tuesday (11 April), a police brigadier, identified only as I.L. had been arrested and held in custody, according to Brigadier General Oegroseno, for the shooting of the two Christian girls. At about 7.45 in the evening local time, they were sitting outside one of the girl's houses, in Kasintuwu district in Poso.
The 18-year old girls, Ivone Natalia and Siti Nuraini noticed a motorcycle approach and shots were fired. Siti Nuraini, nicknamed Yuli, was shot in the neck, and Ivone was shot in the jaw (pictured above). The girls were in a critical condition, and were lucky to have survived their ordeal.
Three young men were initially arrested, but later released for lack of evidence. Ivon recently told journalists: "Although it was very painful, I managed to look up and saw his face. I was surprised because I knew him."
Oegroseno said investigators were looking for evidence in the case, including the gun used in the shooting, as well as exploring possible motives, whether it was meant to spread terror in Poso or was a personal attack.He said the suspect would remain in detention for about 120 days while his case file was completed. "If there's no evidence that he is responsible for the shooting, he will be released," Oegroseno said.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at April 20, 2006 9:21 PM
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