"Sheikh Ali Jaber's preaching program will go on because the government has guaranteed his freedom to preach as long as the program is implemented in accordance with the government's set health protocols," he was quoted by ANTARA here, Monday.
Alfin Andrian, 24, attacked Sheikh Ali Jaber with knife at around 5:20 p.m. local time on Sunday during an Islamic mass gathering to support the one million Quran memorizers (hafiz) program at the Falahudin Mosque in Bandar Lampung.
However, the sudden knife assault by Andrian on this popular ulema while he was conversing with two event participants onstage caused a four-centimeter-deep injury to his right arm.
According to a video of the incident circulated on YouTube channel, Andrian, who reportedly resides in proximity to the mosque, was caught by several participants of the event shortly after the assault.
Inspector General Arianto opined that tightening police security and safeguarding from such similar events would be the most pertinent approach to preventing recurrence in future.
In fact, several police officers secured the event at Falahudin Mosque but Andrian, who reportedly resides some 300 meters from the mosque, launched a sudden knife attack, he remarked.
In connection with this incident, the local police investigators had scrutinized the mental health of the suspect to check the validity of his parents' claim that he ailed from a mental health disorder, he stated.
The Lampung police investigators were unaccepting of this one-sided confession. Hence, they invited psychiatrists from the Kurungannyawa Psychiatric Hospital and the Lampung Police Headquarters' Medical and Health Service Division to examine Andrian's mental health condition, Arianto stated.
Apart from examining his mental health condition, the police investigators also conducted urinalysis to test for presence of drugs, but the results confirmed that the suspect had not consumed any illicit drug, he noted.
The police investigators continued to examine his motives behind attacking Sheikh Ali Jaber since grasping his answers to questions posed during the questioning session proved to be challenging, he stated.
Indonesia's top security minister, Mahfud MD, has ordered security agencies to ensure the safety of all ulemas in Indonesia whilst terming the attacker of Sheikh Ali Jaber as a foe of peace and destroyer of unity.
To this end, the attacker must face a fair and transparent court trial, and the police should expose networks behind him, he noted in a statement.
Related news: Mental health test run on Sheikh Ali Jaber's attacker: police
Related news: Indonesia's charismatic ulema sheikh Ali Jaber survives knife attack
EDITED BY INE
Translator: Dian H, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2020
