Palu (ANTARA News) - Chief of the Central Sulawesi police Brig.Gen. Dewa Parsana said police already knew the identity of all terrorist suspects in the regency of Poso.

Terrorists murdered two policemen in the village of Tamanjeka in October and ambushed and killed four members of police mobile brigade when patrolling in Poso earlier this month.

"All suspects have been on the police list of wanted men. It is only a matter of time before they were arrested," Parsana said here on Saturday .

He acknowledged that it may take a long time before police could nab them all.

He gave no figure for suspects, saying they are many and they hail not only from Poso but also from various areas.

He said special way of handling is needed to deal with the violence in Poso, adding it is not the same as dealing with ordinary crimes.

The minds of radical people have been filled with wrong ideology and they had sympathizers who are eager to help them, he said.

"This needs comprehensive method of dealing with the radicalism through persuasion that would takes a long time," he said.

Law enforcement task force has arrested 14 suspects on charge of being involved in Poso violence over the past two months.

Parsana said some of the suspects have been sent to Police Headquarters in Jakarta for investigation.

Currently two of the suspects S and M are still held by the Central Sulawesi police , but they would soon be sent also to Jakarta.

Parsana said the two were believed to be directly involved in the killing of two police officers at the village of Tamanjeka in mid October 2012 and the deadly ambush of patrolling police on 20 December 2012.

(H-ASG/O001)

Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2012