Prabowo ally Kivlan Zen linked to suspect in plot to kill Jokowi’s four top security officials and trigger deadly riot: police

The retired two-star general allegedly ordered the assassination bid’s field operator to provoke the Jakarta riots on May 21-22

Police last week arrested six suspected of planning to kill Indonesia’s security and maritime affairs ministers, intelligence chief and a presidential adviser

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Riot police stand guard outside the General Election Supervisory Board building in Jakarta on May 28. Photo: AP

Published: 10:43pm, 30 May 2019Updated: 1:42pm, 12 Dec 2019

A close ally and staunch supporter of losing presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto has been linked to a suspect in the plot to assassinate Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s four top security officials and provoke riots among the populace.

Kivlan Zen, a retired two-star general, allegedly gave orders to the plot’s field operator, a suspect with the initials H.K., to instigate the riots that erupted in Jakarta on May 21-22.

“H.K. was the field operator among the six suspects … he received the order from K.Z. [Kivlan Zen] to provoke the riots,” Indonesian national police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo told local news station Metro TV on Wednesday night.

Police last week arrested six people for allegedly planning to kill the country’s security minister, intelligence chief, maritime affairs minister and presidential intelligence adviser. A prominent pollster was also targeted.

The assassination bid was part of a wider attempt to sow unrest by provoking the riots, in which eight people were killed and hundreds injured.

Police spokesman Dedi said Kivlan was a witness in the case. “He is still being interrogated, the results will be announced to the public soon,” he told The Jakarta Globe newspaper.