Man arrested for allegedly creating fake chat between top police brass implying FPI leader’s sex scandal was engineered

HP (middle) being transported to a police station following his arrest on Tuesday, May 23. Photo: Instagram/@polresbogor
HP (middle) being transported to a police station following his arrest on Tuesday, May 23. Photo: Instagram/@polresbogor

The National Police yesterday announced the arrest of a social media admin, identified as 23-year-old HP, for allegedly spreading hate speech online.

The National Police’s Social Media Cyber Crimes task force arrested HP in Jagakarsa, South Jakarta, last Tuesday. According to the police, HP was arrested because he was an admin of the Instagram account @muslim_cyber1, which had allegedly been spreading posts filled with hate speech.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUnFx2jh_K3/

“This account was spreading pictures and words that are spreading hatred based on race and religion,” said National Police spokesman Setyo Wasito, as quoted by Tribun yesterday.

HP also allegedly posted a screenshot of a fake chat between National Police Chief Tito Karnavian and Jakarta Metro Police Spokesman Argo Yuwono, in which the two were insinuated to have been working behind the scenes to engineer a sex scandal involving Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) leader Rizieq Shihab in order to bring him down.

HP was charged with violating the Information and Electronic Transactions Act (UU ITE), which criminalizes racial and religious discrimination online, and may face up to six years in jail if found guilty.

Police said that HP told them he is a supporter of Rizieq, who is currently in Saudi Arabia in order to avoid police questioning regarding his pornography case.

Reacting to the arrest, FPI spokesman Slamet Maarif said that HP is not a member of the hardline organization, but accused the police of selectively putting more effort into arresting FPI members and their supporters.



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