POLICE SHOOT DEAD TWO TERRORISTS IN BEKASI

Jakarta, Aug. 8 (ANTARA) - Two terrorists were shot dead by police officers of the Densus-88 anti terror unit at the Puri Nusaphala housing complex in Jatiasih, Bekasi, Saturday morning.

"They were shot because they were about to trow a bomb at the police," National Police Chief General Bambang Hendarso Danuri said as quoted by Brigadier General Sulistyo Ishak, a police spokesman.

However, the police who had surrounded the terrorists' house since 5 pm local time on Friday, could not confirm whether the bomb was a grenade or home-made bomb.

The fatal shooting was necessary because the two terrorists had threatened the lives of the police officers, he said.

The dead terrorist were identified as Eko Joko Supriyanto and Ari Setiawan.

Their remains were sent to the Kramat Jati Police Hospital in eastern Jakarta for autopsies.

Police suspected that they were involved in several terrorism crimes including the bombing of JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in the Mega Kuningan area, Jakarta, last July 17, 2009.

"They Were preparing another car bomb attack to be carried out in the next three weeks," Danuri said.

The anti-terror policemen also found hundreds of kilograms of explosive materials in a minivan car near the house.

In addition to Bekasi, about 50 members of the Densus-88 anti terror police had been involved in a gun battle with suspected terrorists hiding in a house in Beji village, Kedu subdistrict, Temanggung district, Central Java, since Friday evening, sources at the location said.

The sources said the exchange of fire took place after the anti-terror police at 4 pm besieged the house whose four tenants were believed to include wanted top terrorist Noordin M Top.

Noordin M Top was believed to have been killed in the police raid on Saturday morning.

Previously police arrested two suspected terrorists in other locations. The two were Aris (33) and Hendra (23) in the Tlogomulyo market, Temanggung.

Meanwhile, police admitted in Jakarta on Friday that their anti-terror unit, Densus 88, had arrested Suryana alias Yayan alias Gepeng in North Jakarta on suspicion of being involved in terrorism.

"The case is still being developed. Let us just wait whether he is involved in the Marriott bombings or linked to other networks," the head of the National Police Headquarters' public relations division, Inspector General Nanan Soekarna said.