Thursday, January 26, 2006

Poso Police chief nearly assassinated

Ruslan Sangadji

Police officers in Poso have identified two gunmen who opened fire on a senior police office Wednesday morning, narrowly missing his head, in the latest violence in conflict-torn Central Sulawesi, a spokesperson said.

Two men on a motorcycle shot at Poso Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Rudy Sufahriyadi at 4:30 a.m. as he was on his way to a mosque in the town. They missed their target and initially escaped on the motorcycle.

"It (the bullet) passed only about 30 centimeters away from my head," Rudy told The Jakarta Post by phone. "(But) we have identified the gunmen and are now searching for them."

As yet unidentified gunmen also shot and killed First Brig. Agus Sulaeman in Gebangrejo subdistrict in Poso city three months ago at his boardinghouse.

Wednesday's shooting was the latest violent incident, following a bomb blast that rocked a Christian market on New Year's Eve in the provincial capital Palu, killing seven and injuring dozens more.

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