POLICE CHIEF TO VISIT ACEH BESAR

Banda Aceh, March 15 (ANTARA) - National Police (Polri) Chief Gen Bambang Hendarso Danuri is scheduled to visit Leupung Sector Police Headquarters in Aceh Besar district on Wednesday.

Aceh Police spokesman Senior Commissioner Farid AS said here on Mondahy that the National Police chief has confirmed to visit Leupung, some 25 km west of Banda Aceh, on Wednesday, March 17, 2010.

He said Danuri's visit to Leupung Sector Police Hq was to have the first hand information about the scene where the local police officials arrested a number of suspected terrorists recently.

The National Police chief was originally scheduled to visit the area on Monday but it was postponed until Wednesday.

Earlier on Friday, March 12, 2010, Leupung police officials arrested nine suspected terrorists, two of whom were shot dead because they managed to escape the police raid.

Besides arresting eight suspected terrorists and killing two others, the police also seized six firearms, tens of ammunition, and a number of magazines.

The group of suspected terrorists was arrested when they were on the way in an L-300 car from Lambaro area in Aceh Besar to Calang in Aceh Jaya district.

But when the car they were traveling on arrived at Leupung, the local police officials stopped the car and arrested ten suspected terrorists.

During the police raid, two of the suspected terrorist managed to run away and the police released a warning shoot but the two men ignored it and then the police finally paralyzed them.

The bodies of two suspected terrorists had been flown to Jakarta while eight other suspects remained at Aceh police office.

Earlier this month on March 2, members of the National Police's Anti-terror Special Detachment (Densus 88) arrested 18 suspected terrorists who were undergoing training in Aceh province.

Head of the National Police Headquarters' public relations division, Insp Gen Edward Aritonang said suspects came from different parts of the country namely North Sumatra, Aceh, Riau, Central Java and Jakarta, while their trainer was somebody with overseas experience.

The Densus 88 forces also confiscated three long-barrel guns, eight rounds of ammunition, and documents which among other things showed the trainer had obtained his brevet abroad.