One civilian was killed and at least 17 injured during rioting in the Central Jakarta district of Tanah Abang that began yesterday evening and has carried on into this morning.
According to reports, a 30-year-old man named Farhan Syafero was killed after being shot in the chest amid unrest in the district.
“The death was caused by a bullet wound that pierced through the back from the chest. It may have punctured his lungs,” Budi Kemuliaan Hospital Director Fahrul W Arbi told CNN Indonesia confirming Farhan’s death.
Fahrul added that, as of 6:15 am today, the hospital had received 17 injured victims from the rioting. Some of them also had gunshot wounds, albeit not fatal, but one has been transferred to another hospital for surgery.
It’s not clear at this point if Farhan or any of the injured victims were rioters or bystanders. It’s also not yet known what kind of bullets hit them, but considering the nature of Farhan’s wounds it’s likely that they were shot with live ammo.
Separately, National Police Spokesperson Dedi Prasetyo said the police had warned days in advance that there may be parties taking advantage of the chaos during the unrest.
“We are still looking into [the victims who were shot]. What must be said is that security forces and riot police are not equipped with sharp weapons or firearms,” he said.
There have been fears that the election-based protests in Jakarta this week could turn violent amid reports that weapons were being smuggled to the capital. Police recently arrested a retired Kopassus (Military Special Forces) general on suspicion of smuggling weapons and treason.
