Indonesian terrorists get death penalty for deadly riot

JAKARTA, Indonesia

An Indonesian court on Thursday sentenced six terrorists to death for killing five police officers in a 2018 riot at a detention center.

A judge on the case said the death penalty had been sought by prosecutors.

"All the defendants received [the death penalty] and did not file appeals," the judge, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media, told Anadolu Agency.

He said the panel of judges considered the conduct of the defendants in the riot to be very “sadistic,” which led to the deaths of five police officers.

The riot broke out at a high-security prison outside the capital Jakarta in 2018.

The inmates took six officers hostage and later killed five of them. Four other police officers were also injured.

According to the police, the riot was sparked by a dispute over food.

*Writing by Rhany Chairunissa Rufinaldo with Anadolu Agency's Indonesian-language services in Jakarta