Six people killed in prison riot near Jakarta as ISIS claimed responsibility

Five police and a terrorism convict were killed in a riot that broke out at the Police Mobile Brigade, or Brimob, prison near Jakarta, on Tuesday (08/05). One officer has been taken hostage, a police spokesman said on Wednesday.

The Islamic State claims its militants are involved in the riot, said Site Intelligence Group, a non-governmental counterterrorism organization.

“The Islamic State [IS] Amaq News Agency reported that fighters have engaged in a clash with Indonesian anti-terrorism police inside a prison in Jakarta,” the organization wrote on its website.

According to Site Intelligence Group, IS also shared photographs of the hostage and of its men carrying weapons inside the prison compound. The photos have been circulated on social media, but their authenticity has not been verified.

“Six people are dead, five were our colleagues and one was their man. The bodies have been transported to the Kramat Jati police hospital,” National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. M. Iqbal told reporters near Brimob headquarters in Kelapa Dua, Depok, West Java.

“One of our colleagues is still inside, held hostage,” Iqbal said, adding that the situation is under control and negotiations continue.

The riot broke out when an inmate complained over security checks to a food package he received, Iqbal said, without giving details.

“I can say that the negotiation process is still ongoing. The situation is under control. We have to apply a persuasive approach, as the inmates are convicted terrorists, so special steps need to be undertaken.”

Source: JG