PAPUAN
SEPARATIST CHARGED WITH THE MURDERS OF TWO AMERICANS, ATTEMPTED MURDERS OF OTHERS
DURING 2002 AMBUSH IN INDONESIA
WASHINGTON,
D.C. - Attorney General John Ashcroft, Assistant Attorney General Christopher
A. Wray of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Wainstein of the District
of Columbia, and FBI Director Robert Mueller announced that a joint U.S.-Indonesian
investigation has led to the indictment of Indonesian citizen Anthonius Wamang
in connection with the deadly attack in August 2002 on a group of American schoolteachers
returning from a picnic near Tembagapura, located in the remote Papua Province
of Indonesia.
The
indictment, returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., on
June 16, 2004 and unsealed today, charges Wamang, 32, with two counts of murder
of U.S. citizens outside the United States, eight counts of attempted murder of
U.S. citizens outside the United States, seven counts of causing serious bodily
injury to U.S. citizens outside the United States, and two firearms charges. Three
of the charges in the indictment are punishable by the death penalty.
"The
U.S. government is committed to tracking down and prosecuting terrorists who prey
on innocent Americans in Indonesia and around the world," said Attorney General
Ashcroft. "Terrorists will find that they cannot hide from U.S. justice - whether
in the world's largest cities or in the most remote jungles of Asia."
"The
brutal terrorist attack charged in this indictment was an unprovoked ambush of
an innocent group of Americans who were in Indonesia to teach school," said Assistant
Attorney General Wray. "The Department of Justice will work tirelessly to see
that those responsible for such terrorist acts are brought to justice."
"This
case is an example of outstanding investigative work and the dogged determination
of FBI Agents and prosecutors to ensure that those who attack Americans abroad
are brought to justice. I look forward to working cooperatively with the authorities
in Indonesia as we pursue our mutual interest in prosecuting this defendant,"
said U.S. Attorney Wainstein.
"This
investigative effort illustrates the importance of international cooperation to
combat terrorism and what can be accomplished when countries partner in this effort,"
said FBI Director Mueller. "The cooperation extended by the Indonesian government
enabled the FBI to work in the remotest areas of Indonesia and identify the party
responsible for this terrible crime."
The
charges in the indictment stem from an attack that occurred on Aug. 31, 2002,
when 10 schoolteachers and a 6-year-old child were ambushed as they were returning
from a picnic to their residences in Tembagapura, Papua Province, Indonesia. While
traveling on the road in two vehicles, the victims were ambushed by heavy gunfire.
The attack resulted in the death of two American citizens, Ricky Lynn Spier and
Leon Edwin "Ted" Burgon, and one Indonesian citizen, Bambang Riwanto. Seven of
the eight surviving American victims were seriously wounded.
The
adult victims named in the indictment were contract employees of Freeport McMoRan
Copper & Gold Mine, Inc. ("Freeport"), which operates the world's largest gold
and copper mine, in Papua Province. As alleged in the indictment, at the time
they were attacked, the victims were traveling on the Timika-Tembagapura Road,
also known as the Freeport Road, which was built by Freeport and runs approximately
75 miles from the sea, through the town of Timika and north to Tembagapura, where
the mine is located in the mountains at approximately 14,000 feet above sea level.
Papua Province
is also known as Irian Jaya Province. As alleged in the indictment, the "Free
Papua Movement," also known as "OPM," is an organization devoted to creating a
Papuan state independent from the Republic of Indonesia. The "National Freedom
Force," also known as the "TPN," is the military arm of the OPM. The
indictment alleges that, at the time of the attack, Wamang was an operational
commander in the OPM/TPN.
The
Indonesian National Police and the FBI are conducting this investigation in close
cooperation, and are attempting to identify additional participants in the murders.
This case is
being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregg A. Maisel and DOJ Trial Attorney
T.J. Reardon, III, of the Counterterrorism Section of the Criminal Division. The
case has been investigated jointly by the Indonesian National Police and the Washington
Field Office of the FBI, with the support of the Indonesian government and the
United States Embassy in Jakarta. U.S. Attorney's Office employee Karen Evans
is providing assistance to the prosecutors.
An
indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant violated a criminal law.
All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.