Kerobokan prison’s deadly riot: Police uncover weapons stash

AN arsenal of weapons has been uncovered inside Kerobokan prison in the wake of fatal riots and as the two warring gangs involved signed a peace deal.

Police bring out weapons seized inside bali's Kerobokan jail

AN arsenal of weapons has been uncovered inside Kerobokan prison in the wake of deadly riots and as the two warring gangs involved signed a peace deal.

The weapons, including knives, spears, machetes, a gun, a slingshot and a host of crude homemade weapons, were seized in the wake of a gang clash on Thursday night which killed two prisoners and two others when the fight continued outside the prison.

As almost 20 prisoners were being questioned over the gang war, the leaders of Bali’s two powerful and notorious gangs were holding a meeting with police to call a halt to the violence.

It culminated in Laskar Bali and Baladika chiefs signing a peace deal and shaking hands for the cameras and apologising for the unrest, promising there would be no repeat of the bloodshed.

Peace deal ... Laskar Bali secretary-general I Ketut Putra Ismaya Jaya and Baladika secretary I Ketut Sukarta have reached an agreement. Picture: Supplied

The enormous stash of weaponry, including drugs, a laptop and alcohol other paraphernalia have left Bali police chiefs questioning why and how the contraband was inside a prison.

Deadly stash ... Seized weapons from Kerobokan Jail. Picture: Supplied

Bali’s police chief Sugeng Priyanto said the prison raids were conducted to find out how two of the prisoners were stabbed.

“After we conducted a raid in the prisoners’ cells we found much evidence, spears, machete and many others. How come we can find those sharp weapons inside the prison? There is also a soft gun,” Mr Priyanto said.

Secret weapons ... what was found inside cells within Kerobokan Jail. Picture: Supplied

“Police also found alcoholic beverages and we also found drugs in the prison,” he said.

After the peace deal was signed on Friday the Laskar Bali secretary-general, I Ketut Putra Ismaya Jaya and the Baladika secretary I Ketut Sukarta, shook hands and posed for the cameras.

The meeting was held by Bali police, lead by the island’s police chief, and attended by members of the two warring gangs, provincial officials and prominent Balinese figures.

Raids ... Police bring out weapons seized inside bali's Kerobokan jail. Picture: Supplied

“The point is that both Laskar Bali and Baladika have said sorry to us all, to Bali officials, to the Balinese people and they have promised it will not happen again and no revenge. Let us see how they prove it with their commitment to security in Bali,” Police chief Priyanto said.

“They said that they will hand over their weapons because if there is no weapons the conflict can be minimised.”

Violent intent ... officers survey the secret stash of weapons found inside the prison. Picture: Supplied

It is not the first time the two gangs have clashed or the first time they have pledged a peace agreement. Both gangs offered to hand over their weapons to police.

Laskar Bali dominates the nightclub security business in Bali. Baladika is an offshoot.

The riot started on Thursday afternoon after a clash between prisoners of the two gangs inside Kerobokan prison. Two people were stabbed and two others injured. Word of the stabbings spread outside the prison and gang members descended on the jail, demanding to get in.

The riot squad got involved and managed to quell the angry mob who descended on the jail, armed with weapons. But the two gangs continued their fight several kilometres from the prison, fighting in the street. Two more people were killed during this clash — Ketut Budiarta and Mr X, who is yet to be identified.

The Laskar Bali secretary-general, I Ketut Putra Ismaya Jaya, expressed condolences.

“This incident is beyond our prediction. We convey our condolences to our brothers in Baladika. Yesterday we got a phone call from our friends in the prison. They informed us that they were being attacked by our brothers from Baladika. The information had spread among our family in Laskar Bali. We were informed that Baladika came to Kerobokan with many people. So we also come,” Jaya said.

He said several Laskar Bali members were trapped inside after the violence and could not get out.

Eventually both sides left the prison but continued the clash down the road.

Baladika Bali secretary, ketut Sukarta, said: “We feel sorry for what has already happened. The incident has made people restless. We do apologise. We hope this incident will not happen again.”

The two prisoners who died were Baladika members — one serving time for murder and the other on drugs charges.

Three Australian members of the Bali Nine, along with several others on shorter sentences are held I the jail but they were not involved in the riot and were unharmed. Authorities said no foreign prisoners had been affected by the trouble.

It comes several years after another riot, in which the jail’s office block was burned to the ground, in 2012.