Farouk Arnaz – A ranking member of the hard-line Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) was charged on Tuesday with leading an early morning attack on local residents in Lamongan, East Java, in the latest crackdown on the notoriously violent organization.
Umar Farouk, the head of the Lamongan district chapter of the FPI, was charged with inciting a riot after more than 40 hard-liners stormed through Kandang Semangkon village, in Paciran subdistrict, on August 11, setting fire to six motorcycles and stabbing one man in the back and head, police said.
The hard-liners were searching for Slamet Badiono, a man accused of stabbing a FPI member's wife after a confrontation at a Playstation cafe in Blimbing urban ward on Aug. 8. The raid, and the ensuing retaliation by village residents, damaged four homes in two villages and ended with the arrest of 51 people early August 12, police said.
"There were 42 FPI members [arrested] and named as suspects." National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Agus Rianto said. "Meanwhile, nine local residents were also arrested, six of whom were named as suspects."
The series of retaliatory attacks began with a brawl in an arcade in Blimbing urban ward on August 8. The hard-liners reportedly attacked five people during an unspecified dispute. The brawl allegedly angered Slamet, who drove to the home of Zaenuri, a known member of the FPI, on August 11 in an alleged attempt to get revenge.
When Slamet learned that Zaenuri wasn't home, he reportedly stabbed the man's wife and fled the scene. The violence set off a second wave of retaliation as 41 members of the district FPI office, led by Umar, headed to Slamet's home in nearby Kandang Semangkon village.
The hard-liners couldn't find Slamet, so they turned their anger on Muklis, a man they accused of using drugs. The mob damaged Muklis' home and set six motorbikes on fire before heading off in search of their initial target.
The FPI then attacked a second man, Hamzah Soleh, reportedly stabbing him in the back and ear, police said.
That attack angered local residents in Kandang Semangkon, who reportedly set off to Gowa village. The rival mob allegedly vandalized the homes of two FPI members before police arrived and arrested 51 people.
Officers confiscated several "sharp weapons" from the FPI members. They also took the hard-liners' cellphones.
Police are still searching for Zaenuri, the man accused of the initial brawl that sparked the hours of back-and-forth attacks. "We have named him in the wanted list," East Java Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Awi Setiyono told the Indonesian newspaper Tempo.