Indonesian police say Prabowo ally Kivlan Zen ordered the assassination of President Widodo’s top security officials
- Two suspects arrested after the May 21-22 Jakarta riots told police they received orders from Kivlan, a former two-star general
- The revelations come as police remain on high alert for further violence before Friday, when Prabowo’s election-rigging claims will be heard in court
Two men who were detained in the wave of arrests after the May 21-22 riots claimed that Kivlan was the person who instructed them to kill security minister Wiranto, maritime minister Luhut Pandjaitan, National Intelligence Agency chief Budi Gunawan and presidential intelligence adviser Gories Mere.
Kivlan, who is under arrest for illegal possession of weapons, earlier told local media he had no knowledge of the matter.
But in video testimony shown to press on Tuesday, one of the suspects said Kivlan, via the assassination plot organiser Haji Kurniawan, gave them 55 million rupiah [US$3,850] and told them to use a rifle and a pistol to carry out the shootings.
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Haji Kurniawan testified in the video that he had received S$15,000 (US$11,000) to buy weapons and to pay for expenses for the assassinations from Kivlan, whom he described as his senior and a general whom he respects.
The revelations come as police remain on high alert for further violence in the run-up to Friday, when the Constitutional Court will hear Prabowo’s claims that the April 17 presidential poll was rigged.
The suspects said Kivlan also ordered them to survey the home of prominent pollster Yunarto Wijaya from Charta Politika. Police had earlier said the pollster was also a target for assassination.
Six people have so far been arrested in connection with the murder plot.
Police said there were around 6,000 rioters during last month’s violence in Jakarta who had been deliberately mobilised to attack security forces with dangerous implements that could kill.
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“The military and police did not attack, but only repelled the rioters when they attacked us. We have lots of proof of that,” said Indonesian police spokesman Muhammad Iqbal.
Kivlan’s lawyer Muhammad Yuntri denied the claims, saying Kivlan was not behind the plot.
“We reject [these accusations],” the lawyer told CNN Indonesia. “We are worried … there are indications [Haji Kurniawan] may have been forced by the police [to make the claims].”
Also on Tuesday, Indonesian police counterterrorism squad Detachment 88 arrested 25 terror suspects in West Java and Central Kalimantan.
