Republished November 12, 2017 - 12:07 AM
Original Publication Date November 11, 2017 - 10:41 PM
JAKARTA, Indonesia - Indonesian police said Sunday they have fatally shot two men suspected of burning down a remote police station on Sumatra island.
National police spokesman Rikwanto said the suspects were killed early Sunday in the West Sumatra district of Dharmasraya, about 220 kilometres (137 miles) from the province capital of Padang. The fire had totally destroyed the main building of the Dharmasraya police station.
Police surrounded the area following information from firefighters who spotted the suspects. Rikwanto, who uses a single name, said police opened fire when the men resisted and ignored warning shots.
He says police confiscated from the suspects bows and arrows, bayonets, a knife and a handwritten message with militant content.
Local media reports said the two men attacked officers with arrows, injuring at least one.
Rikwanto said police were investigating a possible terrorist link.
Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, has carried out a sustained crackdown on Islamic militants since the 2002 bombings on the tourist island of Bali killed 202 people, mostly foreigners.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017