Armed members of the Densus 88 anti-terrorism squad have surrounded the detention center at the National Police’s Brigade Mobile headquarters (Mako Brimob) amid a standoff with Islamic State-linked prisoners who are reportedly holding a police officer hostage following a riot on Tuesday night.

The convicts are known to be armed after they killed five police officers and seized their guns during the riot, the police said.

The authorities are negotiating with the militants for the hostage's release.

National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Setyo Wasisto said they had not set a deadline in negotiating with the terror convicts. There are about 130 convicts in the cells, housed in blocks A, B and C.

“We have not set a deadline. The most important thing is that we reach an agreement, hopefully as soon as possible,” Setyo told reporters on Wednesday afternoon.

At least four people have been deployed to negotiate with the convicts, who are allegedly connected to Amman Abdurrahman, a leader of terrorist group Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD). Amman is also being detained at the detention center.

Asked why negotiations were taking a long time, Setyo said because some of the convicts’ demands were not acceptable. Setyo refused to say what the demands were, although unconfirmed reports said the militants were asking to meet local IS ideologue Aman Abdurrahman, who is currently on trial on terrorism charges.

Setyo said the detention center was overcrowded, adding that they would review the facility after riot.

The police claim that the riot was triggered by a “simple issue” of food that a relative of a convict brought from outside the prison for the inmate. (ahw)