Ezra Sihite – The police have arrested 14 people allegedly involved in the killing of a Muslim cleric that triggered a recent attack on a minority Islamic sect in Sukabumi, West Java, a minister said on Thursday.

The cleric, identified only as 34-year-old Ustadz Edin, went missing on Aug. 14, and local residents became suspicions he had been murdered by members of the minority Tarekat At Tijaniyah sect.

Fueled by their suspicions, a mob of about 1,000 residents attacked and burned houses on Sunday belonging to Tarekat At Tijaniyah members in the village of Cisalopa in Sukabumi. The police discovered Edin's body later that day buried in the back yard of the sect's leader, Sumarna.

"The Sukabumi Police have so far detained 14 suspects in the killing of Ustadz Edin," Djoko Suyanto, the coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs, said in Jakarta on Thursday. "They are intensively investigating this case."

Djoko said dozens of police officers and Armed Forces (TNI) soldiers had been dispatched to the village to prevent future attacks. He added that the government had also held talks with local leaders to address the issue.

Several residents said Edin was a tough opponent of Sumarna's teachings, frequently asking the sect leader to disband his group and return to "true Islamic teachings."

The police said that on Aug. 14, Edin visited Sumarna's house in his latest attempt to persuade the sect leader to return to traditional beliefs. Edin was the leader of a local chapter of the Islamic Reform Movement (Garis). (BeritaSatu/JG)