2 Indonesians Held in Suharto Case

Police here have accused the fugitive son of former dictator Suharto of masterminding the assassination of the judge who sentenced him to prison for corruption, and today they said two suspects have confessed to carrying out the killing.

Police said they arrested the suspects separately late Monday night and early this morning in the case of Hutomo Mandala Putra, better known as Tommy Suharto. The wealthy playboy vanished in November when an arrest warrant was issued for him.

“They have confessed that they shot the judge,” said Jakarta police spokesman Col. Anton Bahrul Alam. He quoted the men as saying that Tommy lent them a pistol, which they returned to him after the killing in exchange for $10,500.

Under arrest were Rolan and Noval, who, like many Indonesians, use only one name.

The arrests came after police raided a home belonging to Tommy in a suburb of Jakarta, the capital. Police said they detained 11 people in the raid and found bombs, assault rifles and fake identity cards. One card had a picture of the previously mustached Tommy wearing a beard and using the name Ibrahim.

Police on Monday gave him three days to surrender.

In a late-night news conference, Jakarta Police Chief Sofyan Jacoeb linked Tommy to the slaying of Supreme Court Justice Syaifudin Kartasasmita, who was shot by four assassins on motorcycles as he drove to work July 26.

In September, the judge sentenced Tommy to 18 months in prison for a land scam. Using legal maneuvering, Tommy avoided immediate jailing and then fled.

“We call on Tommy Suharto and his family to surrender him within three days,” Jacoeb said. “It is our conclusion that Tommy Suharto was behind the killing of the judge.”

The police chief said that if Tommy failed to turn himself in, police would take “stern action.” He did not elaborate.