POLICE NAB 10 TERROR SUSPECTS, KILL ONE IN ACEH

Jakarta, March 12 (ANTARA) - National Police Chief General Bambang Hendarso Danuri said the police had arrested eight and killed two terrorist suspects in a shootout in Aceh Besar on Friday.

From them the police confiscated six AK-47s, M16s and an automatic pistol, he said at the National Police Headquarters here on Friday.

"They stole the pistol from officer Boas. Now we have got it back," he said.

Brigadier Boas was killed in a fire fight with the terrorist group in Aceh Besar on March 3, 2010.

General Bambang Hendarso said the arrests were a continuation of police operations launched two weeks ago.

He declined to reveal the identities of the suspects. He confirmed that they were part of Dulmatin's group conducting training in a Aceh Besar forest. Dulmatin, one of the most wanted terrorists involved in the first Bali bombing in 2002, was killed in a raid in Pamulang, Banten province, early this week.

General Bambang Hendarso said the police would explain about the developments of police operations after the death of Dulmatin later.

"The Aceh regional, resort and sector police commands supported by the Mobile Brigade Unit and counter-terrorism unit Densus 88 are still chasing other suspects," he said.

He denied that a local sector police station had been attacked.

He said what happened was that the shootout occurred around the police station.

The incident happened during security checks on passing cars and people on the location at the Banda Aceh-Aceh Jaya road section.

At the time the police stopped a public transport minibus for a check but suddenly its passengers opened fire causing a shootout for about an hour at around 10.30 a.m.

Two of the passengers were killed while eight others had been arrested.

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