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Telkomsel BTS Tower Shooting

On 2 March 2022, armed militants attacked a Telkomsel telecommunications tower site in Beoga, Puncak Regency, Central Papua, Indonesia, killing eight workers and wounding one, in an attack claimed by the West Papua Liberation Organization.

Illustrative

On 2 March 2022, a group of approximately twelve armed militants attacked a Telkomsel BTS (base transceiver station) telecommunications facility, known as BTS 3, located in Beoga, Puncak Regency, in Indonesia's Central Papua province. The attackers were identified as members of the Free Papua Movement.

At the time of the attack, technicians were working to repair the site's transceiver equipment. The militants opened fire on the workers at the facility. One worker, Nelson Sarira, survived the attack and managed to flee; he reportedly sent a message via the building's CCTV system to Telkomsel's headquarters in Jakarta during or after the assault. Eight workers were killed: Bona Simanullang, Billy Garibaldi, Renaltagasye Tentua, Jamaludin, Eko Septiansyah, Syahril Nurdiansyah, Ibo, and Bebi Tabuni.

The West Papua Liberation Organization claimed responsibility for the killings. The group's spokesman, Sebby Sambom, stated that the movement had previously warned civilians to leave the area, saying there was "no reason to justify that they are civilians when we have announced all immigrants to immediately leave the war zone."

The attack drew condemnation from Indonesian authorities and local community leaders. Local military official Aqsha Erlannga described the shooting as an "extraordinary crime." Abelom Kogoya, a general tribal leader of the Dani people from Puncak Regency, also condemned the attack, noting that one of the victims, Bebi Tabuni, was the son of Abeloni Tabuni, the Dani tribal head from Gome, Ilaga District. Kogoya stated that the armed group responsible would no longer be considered part of the community ("family") and indicated the community would assist authorities against them if further attacks occurred, remarking on the destruction the group had caused in Ilaga through killing and arson.

This shooting was among the deadliest incidents in the recent history of the long-running Papua conflict, a separatist and political conflict in the Indonesian region of Papua that has continued since 1962.

Key facts

Victims
Renaltagasye Tentua, Jamaludin, Nelson Sarira, Syahril Nurdiansyah, Billy Garibaldi, Bebi Tabuni, Eko Septiansyah, Bona Simanullang, Ibo
Date
2022
Location
Beoga, Puncak Regency, Central Papua, Indonesia
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1962

    Reference point for the start of the broader, ongoing Papua conflict, of which this attack is described as part.

  2. 2022-03-02

    Armed militants attacked the Telkomsel BTS 3 telecommunications facility in Beoga, Puncak Regency, Central Papua, killing eight workers and wounding one.

Best coverage

No coverage has been attached to this file yet.

People

  • Renaltagasye Tentua

    VICTIM

    Worker killed in the attack.

  • Jamaludin

    VICTIM

    Worker killed in the attack.

  • Nelson Sarira

    VICTIM

    Survived the shooting after fleeing; sent a message via the facility's CCTV system to Telkomsel headquarters.

  • Syahril Nurdiansyah

    VICTIM

    Worker killed in the attack.

  • Billy Garibaldi

    VICTIM

    Worker killed in the attack.

  • Bebi Tabuni

    VICTIM

    Worker killed in the attack; son of Dani tribal head Abeloni Tabuni of Gome, Ilaga District.

  • Eko Septiansyah

    VICTIM

    Worker killed in the attack.

  • Bona Simanullang

    VICTIM

    Worker killed in the attack.

  • Ibo

    VICTIM

    Worker killed in the attack.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Common questions

What happened to the victim?
On 2 March 2022, armed militants attacked a Telkomsel telecommunications tower site in Beoga, Puncak Regency, Central Papua, Indonesia, killing eight workers and wounding one, in an attack claimed by the West Papua Liberation Organization.
Where did the shooting happen?
Beoga, Puncak Regency, Central Papua, Indonesia.
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICTelkomsel BTS tower shootingWikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — Associated PressAssociated Press · 2026-07-07
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — ReutersReuters · 2026-07-07

Record history

First published
JUL 07, 2026

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