Indonesian police kill 3 suspects in gunfight after bomb found

Jakarta:  Indonesian anti-terrorism police killed three suspects after a gunfight at a house south of the capital, Jakarta, where a bomb was found, a police spokesman said today. The raid came soon after Indonesian police had said they were interrogating 14 suspects after a series of arrests relating to planned suicide attacks in the capital, Jakarta, and elsewhere.

"During the raid, we tried to be careful but they threw something from inside the house and it was a bomb but it did not explode. Then they fired from inside," national police spokesman Rikwanto, who like many Indonesians uses only one name, told Metro TV.

Indonesian television footage showed a bomb squad officer wearing a blast-resistant suit entering the house in South Tangerang, as locals watched from behind a police tape. "Inside the house we found a bigger bomb and now we are investigating it to try to detonate it," Rikwanto said. He said one suspect had been found alive. Ayi Supardan, a senior officer from South Tangerang police, said that, after initial interrogation of the suspect who was found alive, it appeared there was a plan to use the larger bomb at the end of the year.

There was no indication of any possible target. Earlier yesterday, Indonesian police said they were interrogating 14 suspects related to planned suicide attacks in Jakarta and outside the most populous island of Java.

The suspects held over the planned Jakarta attack had been communicating with, and received money from, Bahrun Naim, an Indonesian militant known to be fighting with the Islamic State militant group in Syria, police have said. (UNI)