Indonesia arrests four military officers allegedly involved in acid attack on activist

By Ananda Teresia

JAKARTA, March 18 (Reuters) – Indonesian military authorities said on Wednesday that they have arrested four officers allegedly involved in an acid attack on an activist known for his opposition to the expanded role of the military in civilian life.

Andrie Yunus, a deputy coordinator with the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence, a rights group also known as KontraS, suffered burns to 20% of his face and body from acid thrown by assailants from a motorcycle on March 12.

The alleged perpetrators were members of an intelligence unit belonging to the military, said Major General Yusri Nuryanto, Commander of Indonesian Armed Forces Military Police, adding that they were also from the Navy and Air Force.

“We have now taken the four alleged suspects into custody at military police headquarters and we are conducting a thorough investigation,” he told reporters.

Since President Prabowo Subianto took office after a landslide 2024 election victory, rights groups and students have expressed concern about the use of the military to implement his policy goals, which triggered nationwide unrest in August last year.

The activist was attacked after recording a podcast episode about the military’s expanding role in Indonesian politics.

Yusri said authorities were currently investigating any potential motive the four suspects may have had for the attack, including the possibility that it came from an order by their superiors.

The suspects will be subject to an investigation by military police and face a military trial on charges of serious assault, which could bring sentences of up to seven years in jail, he said.

He did not identify the four by their full names, giving only their initials and their ranks of captain, first lieutenant and second sergeant.

At a separate press conference, Jakarta Police Chief Asep Edi Suheri confirmed that four suspects have been accused of being involved in the attack.

Another police official, Iman Imanuddin, said more people could have been involved.

Alghifari Aqsa, a lawyer representing Yunus, raised questions about the transparency of the investigation and urged the government to form an independent fact-finding team to reveal the “big operation” behind the attack.

“We want authorities to find the masterminds and the people who fund this operation,” Aqsa said.

(Reporting by Ananda Teresia; Editing by David Stanway)