Around twelve KNPB members were arrested in Timika on the night of 19 October. Six were set free a few weeks later, and the other six were held to face charges of possessing weapons. Although the case was reported as an explosives case, in fact only one of the six men was actually accused of possessing explosives (of the type used for ‘dynamite fishing,’ known locally as a ‘fish bomb.’) The other five were alleged to have possessed a kind of arrow (panah wayar). As the case came to trial, a charge of treason was later added. There has been speculation that the arrests were designed to frustrate the peaceful activities that KNPB members in Timika had been organising at the time. There are also reports that at least some of the men were tortured. Sekitar 12 orang anggota KNPB telah ditangkap di Timika pada malam 19 Oktober. Enam orang diantaranya dibebaskan dan seminggu setelahnya, 6 orang diantaranya harus menghadapi dakwaan atas kepemilikan senjata. Meskipun kasus ini dilaporkan sebagai kasus peledakan, dalam kenyataannya hanya 1 dari 6 orang dituding karena memiliki bahan peledak (mereka menggunakan dinamit pancing, secara lokal dikenal dengan nama bom ikan). Lima orang lainnya diduga memiliki sejenis panah (panah wayar). Karena kasus ini dibawa ke pengadilan, dakwaan makar menjadi dakwaan tambahan. Terdapat spekulasi bahwa penangkapan ini didesain untuk membuat frustasi kegiatan damai para anggota KNPB di Timika, yang mengorganisir kegiatan saat itu. Terdapat juga laporan bahwa setidaknya beberapa laki-laki telah disiksa.