Jakarta, Jubi – An explosion occurred at the parents’ house of human rights lawyer Veronica Koman, in Jelambar, West Jakarta on Sunday morning, Nov. 7, 2021.
The National Police suspect that the explosion is related to Koman’s ongoing advocacy on defending Papuan rights to determination, as they find a paper that indicates an opposition against Koman’s actions in the garage.
“This is probably a form of threat to the occupants of the house related to Veronica Koman’s actions,” said the head of Operational Assistance of the Police’s Densus 88 antiterror squad, Sr. Comr. Aswin Siregar on Sunday, as quoted by CNN Indonesia.
The writing found in the garage reads “WARNING!!! IF BOTH THE FOREIGN AND HOME AUTHORITIES CANNOT CAPTURE VERONICA KOMAN, THE COWARDLY HERO, WE ARE CALLED TO SCORCH THE EARTH WHERE SHE IS HIDDEN, AS WELL AS HER PROTECTORS”.
The perpetrators of the incident have not been identified to date, though they call themselves the Defender of the Homeland Militant Army.
Though the police do not yet know the motive or identity of the perpetrators who left the explosion in the house, Densus 88 assessed that the explosives used by the perpetrators were not similar to those used by terrorist networks in Indonesia. Therefore, they have not been able to conclude that the explosion was caused by a bomb.
“It can’t be concluded yet that the objects that emitted the sound of the explosion were bombs, as they were unlike the bomb materials commonly used by existing terror groups,” Siregar said.
Koman’s family has reported the terror to the police. The Densus 88 are now collaborating with the West Jakarta Police’s criminal investigators to probe the case. (*)
Editor: Edi Faisol
