A joint team made up of TNI (Indonesian National Armed Forces) and Polri (Indonesian National Police) officers have arrested a KKB (Armed Criminal Group) member who was subordinate to Egianus Kogoya, namely Yomce Lokbere.
The Task Force Head of Peace Cartenz Law Enforcement Operation, Police Commissioner I.G.G. Era Adhinata, in a statement to reporters in Timika, said Yomce Lokbere was arrested on Wednesday, 5th April 2023 at Batas Batu, Nduga Regency.
Lokbere was one of the perpetrators of the burning of the Susi Air plane in Paro, Nduga Regency, Papua Mountains.
The Indonesian armed forces and police recently arrested a member of the terrorist group led by Egianus Kogoya. The terrorist that goes by the name “Yomce Lokbere” was accused of setting the Susi Air plane on fire in Nduga, Highland Papua, last February.#SEAToday #SEATodayNews pic.twitter.com/cVBtoxg58C
— SEA Today News (@seatodaynews) April 11, 2023
The results of the investigation revealed thatLokbere was assigned with finding and collecting logistics, including firearms and ammunition.
“Currently, investigators are still continuing to question the perpetrator,” said Adhinata in Papua on Monday, 10th April.
Police Commissioner Adhinata added, from the data he had, it was understood that Lokbere had been involved in a number of armed actions in Nduga Regency since 2021. These acts of violence involving Yomce Lokbere consisted of burning the Dollarossa camp and shooting with the Raider Battalions 700 Task Force in the Mapenduma area.
On 7th June 2022, he was suspected of being involved in the shooting down of the SAM Air PK-SMG aircraft at the Kenyam airfield, and on 5th February 2023, he was involved in threatening 15 workers for the construction of a health centre in Paro. He also is believed to have burned the plane and taken the Susi Air pilot hostage Philip Mark Mehrtens in Paro District on 7th February.
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Until now, the TNI and Polri are still looking for the whereabouts of the 37-year-old pilot.
The task force had secured firearms and 415 rounds of ammunition of various calibres from the KKB (Armed Criminal Group) headquarters in Sagu Lima Kenyam, Nduga Regency, Papua Mountains on Saturday, 8th April 2023. During the investigation and interviews with Lokbere, the locations for storing firearms, ammunition, and various telecommunications equipment were revealed.
The pieces of evidence secured were an AR-15 gun, air rifle, Grenade Launcher Module (GLM), and one Fabrique Nationale (FN) type firearm each, 415 rounds of ammunition of various calibres including 360 pieces of 5.56 calibres, five handheld transceiver Ocoms, laptops, binoculars, Canon cameras, an SSB telescope, and a radio.
Currently, all evidence is secured at the Mimika Police Headquarters in Timika.