The National Police appealed Wednesday to villagers in Lawangan to give up a man accused of masterminding the 2005 beheadings of three Christian schoolgirls in Poso, Central Sulawesi.

"How can we do an investigation if the citizens prevent us from doing our job," National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Anton Bachrul Alam said.

Anton said a suspect, Taufik Badahu, was being protected by people in his village of Lawangan, who attacked police officers trying to capture him on Monday and Tuesday.

He said when two members of the police counterterror squad visited Taufik's house Monday to arrest him, several local residents called for help and banged on power poles to alert their neighbors.

Around 100 people ran out of their houses and attacked the two policemen, injuring one of them, Anton said. During the incident, the locals also burned the policemen's two motorcycles.

On Tuesday, a team of officers led by Poso Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Rudy Sufahriadi visited Lawangan village on a second attempt to arrest Taufik. This time, local residents threw rocks at their cars and the team retreated.

Anton said Tuesday's statement by National Police chief of detectives Comr. Gen. Makbul Padmanegara that police had arrested Taufik was incorrect. Taufik along with another suspect, Hasanuddin, are alleged to have masterminded the beheadings of the three girls and the 2004 murder of Helmi Tobiling, the wife of a soldier. Police arrested Hasanuddin in Palu on Monday.

The police said a total of six men, including Hasanuddin, had been arrested for their alleged roles in the two separate incidents.

Anton said the police planned to use persuasion rather than force to capture Taufik. However, he said police would take action against all the villagers who had attacked officers doing their duty. "We hope that citizens will not be provoked by irresponsible people wanting to take advantage of the situation," he said.