National Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief Lt. Gen. Marciano Norman said authorities had identified the perpetrators of a fatal shooting in a village in Papua on Sunday which killed a civilian.
“When pursued, they fled to the area near the border [with Papua New Guinea]. We have identified some armed groups in the location and we suspect the shooters are among them,” Marciano said in Jakarta on Monday.
“Our investigation has been narrowed down so our operation has had clear targets,” he added.
Yohanes Yanufrom, 30, became the latest victim of fatal violence that has escalated in Indonesia’s easternmost province of Papua over the past few weeks.
Yohanes, the head of Sawio Tami village, Arso Timur district, Keerom regency, was reportedly shot dead by an unidentified group of armed assailants while riding his motorcycle on Sunday.
Military officials said they had suspected the perpetrators were members of the Free Papua Organization led by Lambert Pekikir.
Several minutes before the village official was shot, Col. Indarto, a member of the Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad), was attacked in his car by gunfire while on his way after inspecting troops in Sawio Tami. He is the 431/Kostrad battalion commander.
The bullets hit the car’s roof and side windows. The battalion commander escaped unharmed but his driver was injured by the broken windows.