FBI to aid Indonesian probe into killings near Papua mine

FBI agents will soon arrive in Indonesia to boost a stalled investigation into a fatal shooting of two American teachers in the country's remote Papua province last year, a senior U.S. government official said Wednesday.

Two American schoolteachers along with an Indonesian were killed Aug. 31 when unidentified gunmen ambushed a convoy of teachers close to the American-owned Grasberg gold and copper mine near Timika, about 2,200 kilometers east of Jakarta.

No one has been arrested over the shootings, but police said they have evidence that the military was behind them. The military has denied any involvement, but rights groups have alleged it committed the murders to discredit a small separatist movement in region.

There has also been speculation that security forces were behind the murders to pressure the mine's owners, PT Freeport Indonesia, to give the thousands of soldiers that guard the facility more money.

The probe has become a headache for U.S. officials, who are trying to convince Congress to approve millions of dollars in military training for Indonesia.

If the military is found responsible for the killings, the U.S. official said it could set back those efforts to provide funding and eventually normalize ties with the Indonesian military. (*)