Bayu Marhaenjati & Farouk Arnaz & Telly Nathalia, Jakarta – Police made a series of raids on Friday night and Saturday morning in Tangerang, Banten, and arrested at least six people who are now accused of plotting to create riots in Jakarta during the weekend.

Jakarta Police spokesman Chief Comr. Argo Yuwono said one of the six individuals is a lecturer at the state-run Bogor Agriculture Institute (IPB) and another is a retired Navy officer.

The former Navy officer was arrested by the Jakarta police in cooperation with the Navy's Military police. He is being detained separately from the other people arrested, Argo said.

The other five individuals have been identified by the police by their initials: IPB lecturer A.B., Y.F., A.U., O.S., retired military official S.S. and S. a.k.a. L.

According to Argo, A.B. had stored Molotov cocktails that were going to be used to attack shops in West Jakarta during a rally organized by a group called "Mujahidin 212 Selamatkan NKRI" (212 Mujahidins to Save the Unitary Republic of Indonesia) on Saturday.

"The IPB lecturer did not plan the demonstration but he had in his possession 28 Molotov bombs that he was going to deploy during the Mujahidin group's protest," Argo said. Though the plot was foiled, A.B. may still face conspiracy charges.

A.B. was arrested at the house of S.S. in Jalan Maulana Hasanudin in Cipondoh, Tangerang, on early Saturday morning along with S. a.k.a. L. O.S. and S.S. were arrested in a house on Jalan Permata Raya, also in Cipondoh. Y.F. and A.U. were arrested on Jalan K.H. Hasyim Ashari nearby.

The six individuals are being detained under the 1951 Law on Emergency. National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Dedi Prasetyo said their legal status will be determined later.

Late on Sunday, the real names of the six individuals were shared among journalists: Abdul Basith, Soni Santoso, Sugiono a.k.a. Laode, Yudhi Febrian, Ali Udin and Okto Siswantoro.

Sugiono was reportedly the one who made the Molotov cocktails and planned the riots with the retired general Soni.

Yudhi was supposed to throw Molotov cocktails into the crowd during the demonstration to create riots and repeat what happened in the 1998 Jakarta May Riots. Police also seized grenades from Okto, who said he had received them from Soni.

"Ali Udin and I were given Rp 300,000 ($21) to buy gasoline to make the Molotov cocktails, [which we were supposed to use] to set fire to shops in Grogol and Roxy [in West Jakarta]. The commotion was supposed to provoke people to come out of their homes and start looting just as it happened in 1998," Yudhi said in a video that was shared among journalists on Monday.

Yudhi said he was a volunteer for a group of supporters for failed presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto called Patra 08. Another video showed Ali Udin claiming himself to be a volunteer of a similar group called Garuda Merah.

Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/context/police-seize-molotov-cocktails-uncover-riot-plot