Indonesian army 'behind US killings'

The ambush took place near a US-owned mine

By Richard Galpin BBC correspondent in Indonesia

A top Indonesian human rights organisation has concluded that army special forces were most likely to have carried out the killing of two Americans and an Indonesian in Papua province last month.

The army had blamed separatist rebels for the attack, in which 12 other people, mainly Americans, were wounded.

The ambush of employees of the US-owned Freeport gold and copper mine was the first time foreigners had been attacked in decades of conflict in the remote eastern province.

The investigation was carried out by the Institute for Human Rights Study and Advocacy, which is based in Papua.

Informant's evidence

It says its findings are the result of numerous interviews. These include a week spent questioning a man who said he had travelled in a car with six soldiers to the location of the ambush just before it took place on 31 August.

John Rumbiak, the head of the institute, says the man is an informant for the special forces.

The police in Papua confirmed to the BBC they had taken the man in for questioning and he had repeated the same story.

But a spokesman said they needed to cross-check his testimony.

'Fabricated' killing

According to Mr Rumbiak, the other crucial piece of evidence centres on a man killed the day after the ambush.

The security forces say he was a separatist rebel and he had been shot dead by soldiers hunting down those responsible for the attack.

But Mr Rumbiak says the result of a medical examination shows the man had died hours beforehand, indicating the incident had been fabricated by the military.

The official police investigation has so far focused on the soldiers on duty in the area on the day of the ambush.

But a military spokesman repeated denials the army was involved in the attack.

He said it would be impossible for the special forces to do something as uncivilised and naive.

Seven soldiers are currently being held in connection with the murder last November of the Papuan separatist leader Theys Eluay.