Indonesian police arrest six over assassination plot during Jakarta unrest

The suspects are believed to be linked to a plan to kill four state officials and a pollster as part of a broader plot to sow discord in the country

Authorities have also revealed further violence against police, while details emerge of religious teachers directing youngsters to take part in the riots

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Police say five men and one woman have been detained on suspicion of accepting payments to carry out contract killings or supplying weapons. Photo: AP

Published: 9:00am, 28 May 2019Updated: 10:58am, 28 May 2019

Indonesian police have arrested six suspects believed to be linked with a plan to assassinate four state officials and a prominent pollster as part of a broader plot to sow unrest ahead of last week’s Jakarta riots that left eight people dead.

Five men and one woman had been detained on suspicion of accepting payments to carry out contract killings or supplying weapons, according to Indonesian police spokesman Muhammad Iqbal.

“The leader of the team received 150 million rupiah [US$10,400], while another suspect received 25 million [US$1,730] from one person,” Iqbal said on Monday, declining to disclose the names of the targets.

Iqbal said police also knew the identity of the person who ordered the assassination attempts, which had been set up in March and April. Several parts of the Indonesian capital had been photographed and mapped out for the plots, he added.

“But Allah still loves this country, and we were given a way to uncover this,” Iqbal said.

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