Undercover officers opened fire on a bulletproof vehicle carrying the Australian head of an anti-terrorism school in Indonesia after mistaking him for a drug trafficker, police said Friday. Lester Cross, director of the Jakarta Center for Law Enforcement Cooperation, was unharmed when shots hit a window and a tire on Sunday in the city of Semarang, about 250 kilometers east of the capital, Jakarta.The school, which is jointly run by Indonesia and Australia, was set up in July 2004 to help police from across Asia fight terrorist networks. It also serves as an information clearinghouse and provides regional governments with anti-terrorism experts.
Four police officers, acting on a tip from an arrested drug dealer, had been lying in wait for a vehicle believed to be carrying narcotics, Central Java police chief Maj. Gen. Doddy Sumantyawan said. Police initially said they believed the attackers were robbers or terrorists. It was a big mistake by our members, who were not aware Cross was inside the car," Sumantyawan told reporters. "I met Cross to apologize and he fully understands that it was an accident."