Police Shoot At Men In Jakarta Airport Attack

September 30, 2009

Indonesian police opened fire on three cars after an altercation involving men with weapons at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta airport on Wednesday, according to an airport official said.

“The information I received was that there were three cars, suddenly the passengers got out and attacked the counter for Sriwijaya Air and then left,” Tahoma Sirait, head of operations at Soekarno-Hatta airport said.

“Airport police then chased them and warned them to surrender their weapons but they didn’t, so the police shot at the cars.”

Police could not be reached for further details about the attack or any casualties. The reason for the attack was not clear.

Sirait said he was told that the men were carrying knives or swords. Local media reported that there was blood visible on the street outside the airport.

Security is tight across the country after suicide bombers attacked two luxury hotels in Jakarta in July, killing nine and injuring over 50. The mastermind of those and other earlier attacks, Noordin Muhammad Top, was killed earlier this month.

(Reuters)