The court proceedings were open to the public, but the defendants were not to be brought to the courtroom. In its place, they would follow the trial hearing through a videoconference facility, Head of the Intelligence Affairs of the West Jakarta Prosecutors' Office Edwin stated.
The defendants are Syahril Alamsyah, alias Abu Rara, and wife, Fitri Andriana, imprisoned at the detention center of the National Police's Mobile Brigade in Bogor, West Java. They would follow this first trial hearing session through videoconference.
The West Jakarta Prosecutors' Office decided to not bring them to the courtroom as a precautionary measure against any untoward incident, he explained.
However, the court proceedings were open to the public, but those keen on witnessing the trial hearing session from the courtroom are obliged to respect the imposition of the large-scale social distancing measure to contain the spread of COVID-19, he noted.
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Alamsyah was apprehended after attempting to stab Wiranto at the Menes Square area of Purwaraja Village, Menes Sub-district, Pandeglang District, on Oct 10, 2019. Wiranto's assistant shielded him when the attacker tried to assault him with a knife.
Shortly after the attack, Wiranto, who reportedly got wounded, was rushed to Pandeglang District's Berkah Public Hospital to receive emergency medical treatment. He was then moved to the Gatot Subroto Army Hospital (RSPAD) in Central Jakarta.
Indonesia's political elites have denounced the attack.
People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Bambang Soesatyo, for instance, reprehended the assault on Indonesia's top security minister, hinting at it being an early warning for the National Police.
Soesatyo stressed on the urgency for the police investigators to investigate and unearth the motives behind the perpetrators of the knife attack on Wiranto, who at that time held the post of coordinating minister for political, legal, and security affairs.
The MPR speaker opined that the attack on Wiranto, conducted 10 days before President-elect Joko Widodo and running mate, Ma'ruf Amin, were sworn in respectively as Indonesia's president and vice president for the 2019-2024 term on October 20, 2019, was in fact an early warning for the police.
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EDITED BY INE
Translator: Devi NSR, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2020
