6 FPI Members Were Shot Dead By The Police, This Is FPI's Explanation

Saturday, December 12, 2020

Faktakini.net, Jakarta - The incident of a conflict between members of the leading mass organization helping disaster victims in Indonesia, the Islamic Defenders’ Front (Front Pembela Islam – “FPI”) and members of the Police at KM 50 of the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road on early Monday (07/12/2020) morning resulted in six fatalities. Both the Police and FPI claimed to be defending themselves and each said they had been attacked first.

What actually happened?

FPI Secretary Munarman denied that Habib Rizieq Shihab’s guard force attacked the Police first. He claimed that FPI members do not bear firearms, and that the 6 personal guards of Rizieq were missing, presumably kidnapped. He declared his surprise that the Chief of Metro Jaya Regional Police stated that 6 Rizieq sympathizers were shot to death because they attacked the Police.

“If a shootout occurred and deaths were caused, the crime scene would have been crowded and taking the dead away would have taken time. If the shootout occurred from the start, that means that the people died on site. That means that there should have been many of them. I have been checking all night until 3 a.m. this morning with my colleagues on site. There were no corpses there, no crowds,” he said.

FPI General Secretary Haji Munarman explained that the incident happened along with the journey of Habib Rizieq and his entourage to the family recitation place. Habib Rizieq and his family were escorted by the army. In total there were eight cars in the group.

"On Sunday (6/12) at 22.30, he left the Sentul location to go to the main family recitation place. Shubuh recitation, did not involve any party, with four families, there were wives, children, and son-in-law. "The car, there were his grandchildren, two of them were still babies, three were toddlers, in Habib Rizieq's group there were toddlers. One year old baby and a toddler," said Munarman.

Ustadz Munarman said that a car had been following him since Sentul. Then, Habib Rizieq's bodyguard immediately protected Habib Rizieq. Ustadz Munarman denied that Rizieq's followers from FPI carried firearms.

"It is a big slander if our troops are said to be carrying firearms and shooting. That slander," said the General Secretary of the Islamic Defenders Front (Sekum FPI) Ustadz Munarman in a press conference on Monday (7/12/2020).

Ustadz Munarman's statement was greeted by calls by other FPI members who attended the press conference. "Allah is great," exclaimed the FPI member.

Ustadz Munarman continued, FPI has never equipped its members with sharp weapons because they usually use their bare hands to solve problems that threaten safety.

Ustadz Munarman said that the police statement regarding the presence of weapons controlled by FPI members was an attempt to distort the facts.

"Our soldiers are never equipped with firearms, we are used to empty hands. We are not cowards. So slander, and this is extraordinary slander, distorting the facts by saying that the army attacked and carried out the shooting first," said Ustadz Munarman.

Ustadz Munarman then challenged Polda Metro Jaya to reveal the data on firearms that were said to have been confiscated from FPI members. Ustadz Munarman admitted that FPI did not have access to possession of firearms.

"If it is true, try to check the firearms registration number, the bullets are recorded, check. I make sure it is not ours because we do not have access to firearms. And it is impossible to buy from the black market," said Ustadz Munarman.

The attorney for the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), Aziz Yanuar SH, admitted that he had seen firsthand the condition of the six bodies of FPI members who were shot dead by the police.

Aziz said that many unnatural wounds were found on the six bodies.

Apart from gunshot wounds, he said, there were other bruises that were not caused by bullet casings.

"Some of the injuries were unnatural. Gunshot wounds were also unnatural," Aziz told Kompas.com, Tuesday (8/12/2020) night.

When asked how many gunshot wounds were in each body, Aziz did not elaborate.

"A lot," he said.

With the condition of the six bodies, Aziz believes that they did not die because the police took firm and measured actions.

Aziz hopes that the National Human Rights Commission, which has formed an independent team, can fully investigate the shooting.

"We ask for this to be thoroughly investigated," he said.

After being autopsied at the Kramat Jati Police Hospital, East Jakarta, the police then handed over all the bodies to their respective families.

The autopsy itself was actually rejected by the family because they wanted the autopsy to be carried out by an independent party, not at the National Police Hospital because it was Polri personnel who carried out the shooting themselves.

Six bodies were taken by the FPI, then buried at the Al Islah Petamburan Mosque, Central Jakarta, before being buried this morning, Wednesday (9/12/2020) at MS Mega Mendung, Bogor, West Java and one body of Syuhada on behalf of Muhammad Lutfi was buried Wednesday dawn at the family funeral in Duri Kosambi, West Jakarta.

Source: observerid.com, kompas.com, detik.com