Thousands of troops secure Indonesia trial as tensions run high over wiretap scandal

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian authorities tasked thousands of police and military personnel to provide security Thursday for a trial involving former President Joko Widodo, as tensions in the capital remained high over allegations that top officers had been involved in intercepting the current president's telephone conversations.

Three senior generals have already been detained in the wiretapping scandal, including Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo, who had been named chief of staff to President Prabowo Subianto last month.

Listyo previously served as national police chief under Widodo, though the former president has not been implicated in the wiretapping investigation. There are allegations that Cabinet officials, politicians, journalists, civil society leaders and business executives were also subjected to unauthorized surveillance.

After losing two presidential races to Widodo, Prabowo aligned himself with the popular leader and campaigned as his successor, choosing Widodo’s son as his running mate in a move that fueled concerns about a growing political dynasty in Indonesia’s young democracy.

Widodo and Prabowo were once close political allies, with Widodo backing Prabowo’s successful 2024 presidential bid, but their relationship has come under increased scrutiny amid signs of a growing rift since Prabowo took office.

Neither has commented on the wiretapping case.

Retired police Gen. Oegroseno, a former deputy national police chief, told the Forum Keadilan TV podcast on Wednesday that investigators should examine all possible lines of command behind the wiretapping, including whether any directives originated from Widodo.

“Investigators should not hesitate to question a former president if necessary,” Oegroseno said. “The motive behind the alleged wiretapping operation must be fully uncovered under the leadership of the current police chief.”

The wiretapping operation could also constitute a serious human rights violation and could be used to intimidate critics and weaken civil liberties, said Usman Hamid, Amnesty International's executive director in Indonesia.

“This is not merely about the alleged wiretapping of the president,” Hamid said in a statement. “Authorities must disclose who else may have been targeted and investigate the full impact of the operation.”

Police allege the unauthorized wiretapping took place between 2025 and 2026, after Prabowo had been elected and while Listyo was still national police chief. National Police Legal Division head Sonta Nasution and Eko Hadi Santoso, a senior instructor at the National Police Education and Training Institute, were also detained.

Authorities have called in more than 20,000 troops to Jakarta, and on Thursday said that 6,770 police and military personnel had been deployed to secure Widodo's hearing. Widodo was called to testify in a defamation trial stemming from allegations that he used a fake university diploma. The trial is unrelated to the wiretapping case and Widodo denied the diploma allegations.

As he arrived Thursday morning at the East Jakarta District Court, the former president was welcomed by hundreds of his supporters chanting messages of encouragement.

The presidential palace has said the wiretaps were being considered an “act of treason” that endangered state interests, but has not linked the deployment of troops to Jakarta to the case.

East Jakarta Police chief Alfian Nurrizal said that the deployment for the hearing was a precautionary measure due to potential security risks and large crowds, and that most of the forces were being held on standby.

Indonesian military spokesperson Maj. Gen. Muhammad Nas previously said that the deployment of the 20,000 marines and other personnel to Jakarta was a “normal occurrence."

Despite the number of troops sent to Jakarta, there has also been no visible military presence on the streets and authorities have said most are being held in reserve in barracks and other facilities.

Associated Press writer David Rising in Bangkok contributed to this report.

Supporters of former Indonesian President Joko Widodo shout slogans during a rally outside the East Jakarta District Court where Widodo testifies in a defamation trial, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Supporters of former Indonesian president Joko Widodo shout slogan during a rally outside the East Jakarta District Court where Widodo testifies in a defamation trial, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Indonesian police guard outside the East Jakarta District Court where former Indonesian President Joko Widodo testifies in a defamation trial in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Former Indonesian President Joko Widodo, center, arrives to testify in a defamation trial at the East Jakarta District Court in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Members of Indonesian Armed Forces Reserve Component patrol a street at the main business district in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

FLE - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, center, walks with, from left, Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Deputy House Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi and National Police Chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo, upon arrival from an overseas trip at Halim Perdanakusuma Airbase in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, July 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, File)

Members of Indonesian Armed Forces Reserve Component patrol a street at the main business district in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

Former Indonesian President Joko Widodo, center, arrives to testify in a defamation trial at the East Jakarta District Court in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Three bodies were retrieved from the debris of a collapsed building in Kenya’s capital on Thursday morning, two weeks after the deadly collapse, bringing the confirmed death toll to five as police said recovery operations were nearing completion.

Sixteen people are still believed to be missing since the building collapsed on Oct. 23.

Four people were rescued alive from the 18-story building, which collapsed along a busy commercial street in Nairobi, while its upper floors were still under construction. The ground and basement floors had been rented out to businesses, including an electronics shop, a grocery store, a textile shop and a butchery.

Nairobi County Governor Johnson Sakaja said the building had not been approved for construction and that the renting out of the completed floors was also illegal.

He blamed weak enforcement of construction regulations and minimal penalties for developers’ blatant disregard for building laws in the capital.

The developer has since been questioned by investigators, but no arrests have been made. The building was owned by two partners under a joint venture agreement.

Kenya has recorded 98 building collapses over the past five years, resulting in 104 deaths and 80 injuries, according to government data.

The country is currently co-hosting the International Conference on Strengthening Search and Rescue Services in Africa, alongside the United Nations and the Russian government. Participants are discussing innovations that could save lives during building collapses, with the aim of strengthening emergency response capacity across African countries.

Three days after the Nairobi building collapsed, the government partnered with a Chinese company that introduced thermal imaging technology at the site. The technology detected two people trapped beneath the rubble.

A Kenya Defence Forces officer speaks with a member of the China-based Blue Sky Rescue Team at the scene of a collapsed multistory building in Nairobi, Kenya, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Security forces and civil defense work after a multi-story building collapsed in Nairobi, Kenya, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)