Police take 14 people into detention over Medan suicide bombing

Medan, N Sumatra (ANTARA) - The police have detained 14 people for their supposed involvement in the suicide bombing attack on the Medan City Police Station in North Sumatra Province on Wednesday, Nov 13, 2019.

"To be sure, 14 people have been detained in connection with the incident," Chief of the North Sumatra Provincial Police Inspector General Agus Andrianto remarked after visiting the victims of the suicide bombing at the Bhayangkara Police Hospital in Medan on Friday night.

He noted that the police will conduct a thorough investigation into the case to offer a sense of security to the public.

In general, suspected terrorists stay in rented houses, isolate themselves, and do not socialize with the general public, he stated.

If the people know of such neighbors, they should report them to the nearby security agency, he noted.

"Terrorism is our common enemy. Let us be united to fight it. No single religion teaches this (terrorism). This is not religious teachings," he stated.

A suicide bomber, believed to be a 24-year-old male, identified by his initials as RMN, blew himself up at the Medan City Police Station on Wednesday (Nov 13), resulting in injuries to six people, though no casualties of fatally ill were reported.

Shortly after the incident, the police conducted a search of the suspect’s house and questioned his wife and her parents. The police officers confiscated some pieces of evidence, including two green baskets containing dozens of arrows, a pole, and some documents at the private residence of the accused.

North Sumatra Governor Edy Rahmayadi called on community members to stay calm but vigilant in response to the suicide bombing attack.

"To all people, please learn and understand it well. Remain calm, and let the authorities handle it," he told journalists at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Thursday on being questioned on the bombing incident that resulted in the attacker being killed and injuries to six people.