Pekanbaru – Hundreds of police and Army personnel conducted sweeps on Monday against South and West Sulawesi delegates of the 29th Indonesian Islamic Students Association (HMI) in Pekanbaru, Riau.
The security personnel seized various weapons, such as knives, machetes, kris, bows and arrows, blowpipes, three bottles filled with poison and home-made firearms and airsoft guns when they raided the students' accommodation at the Pekanbaru Youth Complex, and Riau University.
Scores of students were taken to the Riau Police headquarters for questioning. Police dogs also found an empty plastic bag that had contained crystal methamphetamine at the Riau Youth Complex.
Pekanbaru City Police chief Sr. Comr. Aries Syarief Hidayat said the raid on the congress participants and uninvited students was conducted following an attack using poisoned darts allegedly by students from West Sulawesi on two congress participants from Riau, identified as Syahroni and Syafrizal, at a hotel in Pekanbaru early on Monday.
"The victims are still receiving treatment in hospital, and the police are hunting the perpetrators," said Aries at the Riau Police headquarters.