Nabiila Azzahra, Jakarta – The Jakarta Metro Police confirmed that their officers arrested an Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) personnel during the protest in front of the parliament complex in Jakarta on Thursday, August 27, 2026.

"It was a misunderstanding," said the Head of Public Relations for the Jakarta Metro Police, Senior Commissioner Budi Hermanto, during a press conference at his office on Friday evening, August 28, 2026.

The issue has since been resolved between the Indonesian military and the National Police (Polri). "We have coordinated to resolve this issue," Budi said.

According to Budi, the police arrested the soldier due to the difficulty in recognizing each other at the protest site due to the size of the crowd.

The Head of the TNI Information Center, Brigadier General Muhammad Nas, echoed the statement, citing misunderstanding between the two institutions. "It has been clarified," said Nas when contacted on Saturday, August 29, 2026.

The arrest of the TNI soldier was captured and circulated on social media. Originally uploaded to Threads, the clip was then spread across other social media platforms, including Instagram.

In the video, a man wearing a black t-shirt and light blue denim pants is seen. The circulating narrative describes him as an intelligence officer who was arrested. He was asked by the person in front of him, "Are you from the Regional Military Command?"

Several items are seen lined up on the asphalt around the man. Among them are a wallet, a communication device, and three cards that appear to be a National Identity Card (KTP) and membership cards.

The man, dressed in black, claimed to have come from Battalion 203. He was also adamant that he did not participate in the protest. "I was sitting there with the provost. Here's a video of me sitting there; I didn't join in," the person said.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2118525/why-did-police-arrest-a-tni-soldier-during-jakarta-protes