Indonesia deploys more than 20,000 troops in Jakarta amid wiretapping case involving the president

Troop deployment and arrests

Indonesia's armed forces deployed more than 20,000 troops and personnel in the capital after authorities launched an investigation into an alleged operation to wiretap President Prabowo Subianto, Deutsche Welle reported. The number deployed in the capital since Monday exceeded 20,000 by Wednesday, according to the Navy's operations assistant, Vice Admiral Yayan Sofiyan. Officials have not officially confirmed that the deployment is linked to the scandal: armed forces spokesman Major General Muhammad Fadilah... actually, spokesman Major General Muhammad Nas called the troop movement a 'standard procedure' for ensuring national security.

Who has been arrested and what the charges are

Three high-ranking police generals have been detained. They are accused of illegally wiretapping the phones of the president, journalists, politicians and businesspeople. Among those detained is Listyo Sigit Prabowo (no relation to the president), who served as chief of the national police until last month and then became head of the presidential staff; he is currently named as a suspect in the case. The presidential palace said the alleged wiretapping of the president could be regarded as an act 'bordering on treason.' The suspects have not publicly responded to the accusations; they may face charges related to illegal surveillance, which carry up to 10 years in prison.

What remains unclear

According to the senior minister for legal affairs, the motive for the wiretapping has not yet been established. Criminologist at the University of Indonesia and former commissioner of the National Police Commission Adrianus Meliala said there is a 'strong suspicion' that the wiretapping was carried out not in the interests of the state or the national police, but in the interests of other parties. He also noted that no one expected Listyo Sigit Prabowo to become a suspect, and that if the charges are proven, the case could be understood in the context of political maneuvering. The troop deployment and the investigation are proceeding in parallel: no official link between them has been established, and the motive in the case has not been officially named — these circumstances remain open questions.