REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The suicide bomber was targeting officers attending the routine morning roll call at the Solo Police Headquarters, Central Java, according to the National Police's Head of Public Relations Agus Rianto.
"The perpetrator wanted to inflict maximum destruction by targeting a large number of victims. This morning, our colleagues in Solo were going to conduct a roll call, but we were able to secure them," Agus stated at a press conference at the National Police Headquarters in Jakarta, Tuesday.
Agus also noted that the suicide bombers were currently not only targeting sites that symbolized west or foreign cultures but also police officers.
"Other than sites that symbolized western cultures, they also target the Police force, much alike the Thamrin bombing incident in Jakarta. The police are viewed as an obstacle by the extremists in the path to achieving their ultimate goal, due to which the police force has also become a target," he revealed.
There was no link between the bombing in Solo and the president's plan to visit his hometown Solo during the Eid period, he added.
"It is assumed that this incident has nothing to do with the president's visit to his hometown as it is a routine agenda. It is rather obvious that the perpetrator was targeting our personnel," he pointed out.
The incident occurred at around 7:30 a.m. local time when a man riding a motorcycle entered the Solo Police Headquarters Complex and was stopped by an officer. An explosion occurred soon thereafter.
The motorcycle rider, who was the perpetrator, died in the incident. It was recently revealed that his name was Nur Rohman and was a former sub-district head of Sangkrah Village.
Officer Bambang Adi Cahyanto, who attempted to confront the suspect, suffered injuries on his left eye and burns on the left side of his torso. He is currently being treated at a hospital in Solo.
An investigation is still ongoing at the crime scene. Some pieces of evidence found at the bombing site, included some buckshot, debris, and gunpowder remnants of the explosion.
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