Why Did Police Arrest a TNI Soldier During Jakarta Protest?
The Jakarta Metro Police claimed the arrest was a misunderstanding.
On Thursday, August 27, 2026, the Jakarta Metro Police reported that they had arrested an Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) soldier during a protest in front of the parliament complex in Jakarta. The Jakarta Metro Police's Head of Public Relations, Senior Commissioner Budi Hermanto, clarified during a press conference on Friday evening that the arrest was a misunderstanding.
Budi stated that the police had arrested the soldier due to the challenge in identifying each other at the protest site, given the large crowd. The TNI Information Center's Head, Brigadier General Muhammad Nas, echoed the same sentiment, attributing the arrest to a misunderstanding between the two institutions. The arrest, which was captured and widely shared on social media, showed a man in a black t-shirt and light blue denim pants, who claimed to be from Battalion 203.
He also denied participating in the protest, asserting that he was with the provost. Despite the subsequent clarification and resolution between the Indonesian military and the National Police (Polri), the incident drew significant attention on social media platforms.
Written by urgent.news from Tempo.co English's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
