Indonesia Detains Police Generals Over Alleged Prabowo Wiretaps

Indonesian police have detained three senior generals, including President Prabowo Subianto’s chief of staff, on suspicion of illegally wiretapping the president and other public figures, according to Reuters, Deutsche Welle and The Star.

Who was detained

Reuters, confirming the identity with the government, said Listyo Sigit Prabowo — who is not related to the president — was among those held. Listyo served as national police chief until last month, when he became presidential chief of staff. Local media identified the other two suspects as Ahrie Sonta Nasution and Eko Hadi Santoso, The Star reported.

National police crimes unit chief Asep Safrudin said the three allegedly intercepted the president’s phone and those of officials, politicians, journalists, civic groups and business people from 2025 into 2026, Reuters reported. He said they ordered deletions of interception records last month and that the activity was not tied to any formal investigation. Suspected offenses carry maximum prison terms of up to 10 years for illegal interception, six for unauthorized system access and eight for deleting electronic data, Asep said.

Troops in the capital

More than 20,000 military personnel have been deployed in and around Jakarta since Monday, Deutsche Welle reported, citing Vice Adm. Yayan Sofiyan. Navy spokesperson First Adm. Tunggul M. Han said the move was meant to maintain national security and prepare for military exercises near the capital, The Star reported. Armed forces spokesperson Maj. Gen. Muhammad Nas called the deployment a standard security procedure, Deutsche Welle said.

Motives and personnel changes

Senior legal affairs minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra said on Tuesday that investigators had not found indications of treason and that the case was early, Reuters reported. On Wednesday, Cabinet Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said the surveillance could amount to “treason” that may endanger the president’s safety, according to The Star. Prabowo dismissed Listyo and appointed Army Gen. Aryo Windutomo as acting chief of staff, The Star reported. The government has not publicly established a motive, Deutsche Welle said.

Developing: Police have questioned at least 13 people and are still investigating whether others were involved and what purpose the alleged interceptions served.

Sources: Deutsche Welle, The Star, Reuters, Associated Press.