Bali police reveal how accused shooters of Australian men tried to flee holiday island
Three Australians have been arrested over the slaying of Melbourne man Zivan Radmanovic – with details released of how they allegedly tried to evade capture.
Three Australian nationals – identified only by their initials D, T, and C – were arrested by police in Bali attempting to flee the country after allegedly carrying out the targeted killing of Melbourne man Zivan Radmanovic over the weekend.
The deadly attack at a villa in the Badung area early on Saturday also wounded 34-year-old Sanar Ghanim, who is believed to have connections with organised crime networks in Melbourne.
Bali Police Chief Inspector General Daniel Adityajaya said the three suspects had switched vehicles while trying to make their escape, from motorbikes to a white Toyota Fortuner, then later a white Suzuki XL7 as they crossed into Java, drove to Jakarta and boarded a flight out of Soekarno-Hatta Airport.
“One of them was arrested at Soekarno-Hatta Airport,” Inspector Adityajaya said on Wednesday. “When he was about to leave, he was stopped by the immigration, with the help of Greater Jakarta Police and Criminal Investigation Department, while the other two had already left the country but were successfully returned through inter-country co-ordination under Interpol members in Southeast Asia.”
All three Australian passport holders were flown separately from Jakarta to Bali on Tuesday night and police have named them all as suspects.
“The investigation is ongoing, but based on various pieces of evidence, the investigation currently points to these three individuals. We’re still in the process of developing the case, having only been able to interrogate them last night,” Inspector Adityajaya said.
He said it was believed the three suspects acted as the executioners and planners of the attack, though it remains unclear whether one of them served as the primary mastermind, and that there was a possibility that someone else ordered the hit.
The Indonesian Immigration directorate general said the Australian national apprehended at Soekarno-Hatta Airport on Monday was trying to leave Indonesia for Singapore, with Cambodia as his final destination.
The 27-year-old man, as identified by the agency with his initials DFJ, was stopped at the immigration gate because the light on the autogate showed red, indicating he was on immigration’s blacklist.
Officers then apprehended him and followed it up with the relevant authorities, including Interpol, said acting immigration director general Yuldi Yusman.
DFJ was arrested on Monday and later handed over to Badung police in Bali, after flying in on Tuesday.
The three suspects were charged under two case files in the investigation, for murder and embezzlement, because they also allegedly used rented cars to flee Bali and the country.
The most serious charge is Article 340, which covers premeditated murder and carries a maximum penalty of death.
Alternatively, investigators may apply Article 338, which pertains to general murder, or Article 351 paragraph 3, which covers severe assault resulting in death.
In addition to homicide-related charges, authorities are invoking Emergency Law No 12 of 1951, which regulates the possession and use of illegal firearms, a law often used in violent crime and terrorism cases.
“A 9mm firearm is suspected to have been used, but this is still being investigated through ballistic tests and other forensic analyses. We need to examine everything thoroughly. That’s why we need the suspects and their testimonies,” Inspector Adityajaya said.
Gun crime is rare in Indonesia, and when asked about the possible connection to Melbourne-based gang conflict, a Bali police spokesman said police had yet to reach that point in the investigation.
“Here’s the thing – we all share the same concern about maintaining security in Bali. Each ambassador should speak to their citizens about respecting the local laws in Bali, maintaining public safety, and informing or co-ordinating with us if there are any signs of criminal activity,” the spokesman said.
Mr Ghanim was discharged from hospital after suffering serious injuries when two unidentified men broke into his villa at Casa Santisya 1 in Munggu village about 12.15am on Saturday. He has so far refused to provide a statement to authorities.
According to testimony from Jazmyn Gourdeas, Mr Radmanovic’s wife, a man wearing a bright orange jacket and black helmet broke into their villa and a short time later she heard gunshots targeting her husband, who was in the bathroom at the time.
Moments later, she heard Mr Ghanim scream from the adjacent room, followed by more gunfire.
Mr Ghanim, the ex-partner of Roberta Williams’s daughter Danielle Stephens, was jailed in 2015 for his involvement in a shooting incident in Melbourne.
He has a child with Stephens, whose mother was married to Carl Williams, a central figure in Melbourne’s gangland wars who was murdered in Barwon Prison in 2010.
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