They have been named suspects as they were involved in a theft when the riot broke out, chief of the public relations services at the North Sumatra provincial police Senior Commissioner Rina Sari Ginting said here on Sunday.
The seven suspects are identified by their initials as MARP (16), Adk (21), MIL (17), AAM (18), FF (16), AP (18), and MRM (7).
All the suspects were charged with being involved in a theft under article 363 of the criminal code, she said.
However, the police have not named any suspect in vandalism.
After all, she said the police have held the identities of several people suspected of involvement in the riot.
The riot in Tanjungbalai was caused by a mob that set fire to pagodas and monasteries, following a protest by a local resident against the use of loudspeakers for azan (the call for Islamic prayers).
The situation in the area is now under control, as police and military personnel were deployed to end the rioting. ***2***
(S012/b003/B003)
Reported by Irwan Arfa.
Editor: Suryanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2016
