Police Take Action Againt 13 Terror Suspects in E Java

Surabaya, E Java, May  (Antara) - The Densus 88 anti terror squad of the National Police's Headquarters has taken action against 13 terror suspects in Surabaya and Sidoarjo, East Java, during the wee hours of Monday.

East Java Regional Police Spokesman Senior Commissioner, Frans Barung Mangera, stated here on Monday that the actions were taken against the terror suspects to wage war on terrorism.

"We took action on Monday morning from 2:30 a.m. until 4:45 p.m. There were 13 people who were suspected to have planned a terror attack," he revealed.

Mangera added that four terrorists were killed by the Densus 88 anti-terrorism squad of the National Police Headquarters.

"Four are in Sidoarjo, and nine others are in Sidoarjo and Surabaya, totaling 13 people. Four of them were shot dead, and nine are alive," he noted.

"We will not reveal the places where they are. We will update later," he added.

He explained that they were part of a family network, as identified by police.

"This shows the police's consistency in eradicating terrorism," he elaborated.

Since Sunday, East Java has been rocked by suicide bomb attacks, killing 22 people, including 10 attackers.

The bomb attacks took place at three churches on Sunday morning and at the Surabaya Police Headquarters, police pointed out.

According to Mangera, the death toll in suicide bomb attacks at three churches on Sunday morning rose to 18 as of Monday.

"In the first bomb attack at Santa Maria Tak Bercela Church in Ngagel, the number of people killed was seven, including two perpetrators," Mangera stated on Monday.

The number of people killed in the bomb attack at the Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) at Diponegoro Street reached three, with all of them being perpetrators, he noted.

 "The three included a mother and her two children," he added.     
Mangera remarked that the number of people killed in the bomb attack at the Pentecostal Church at Arjuno Street increased to eight from three. The eight victims included seven residents and one perpetrator.

 In the meantime, four attackers of the Surabaya Police Headquarters were killed in the explosion, while one perpetrator survived. (*)