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Three men on trial for the murder of businessman Nasrudin Zulkarnaen pleaded innocent on Wednesday, saying the March 14 shooting was actually carried out by a group of unknown assailants.

The defendants, opening their defense at the Tangerang District Court, also claimed they were tortured by police into confessing to shooting Nasrudin as he was riding in the back of his car away from the Modernland Golf Course in Tangerang.

The victim died in hospital the following day.

The spectacular case, which involves an alleged love triangle between Antasari Azhar, the former chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), and a golf caddie who was the third wife of the victim, has been the subject of rumor and speculation for months that somehow the murder was staged to hurt the KPK.

Antasari is on trial separately for ordering the murder.

Citing earlier testimony about a convoy of mysterious vehicles — a “second team” of gunmen — allegedly present during the shooting, defense attorney Hendrik Jehaman, who is representing accused hitmen Hendrikus Kia Walen, Heri Santosa and Daniel Daen Sabon, said, “The court should take this into consideration when reaching a verdict.”

During Wednesday’s hearing, Hendrikus said police tortured the three into confessing.

“We were blindfolded with plastic tape, our clothes were taken, we were beaten and given electric shocks to admit to what we never did,” Hendrikus said.

The claim of a second team was made earlier by Heri, whom prosecutors say drove the motorcycle from which Daniel fired on the car.

Hendrikus said he believes the five-man “second team” was set up by the National Police.

Two other defendants, Fransiskus Tadons Keran and Eduardus Noe Ndopo Mbete, claimed they were also tortured into confessing during a separate hearing earlier this week.

Daniel, who is accused of firing two deadly shots from the back of a motorcycle, didn’t even know how to handle a gun, Hendrik said, adding that another witness said the supposed murder weapon “was already broken.”

Hendrik also argued that the prosecution had failed to present forensic proof that a fingerprint on the gun belonged to Daniel and that bullet fragments found at the murder scene came from the same gun.

The five defendants are alleged to have ambushed Nasrudin on orders of police officer Wiliardi Wizar and suspected middleman Jerry Hermawan Lo. The two were allegedly acting on orders from Antasari.

Wiliardi, Lo, Antasari and businessman Sigid Sigid Haryo Wibisono, who allegedly financed the murder, are being tried separately in the South Jakarta District Court.

The five alleged hit men claim they were tricked into believing that they were acting on behalf of the state to terrorize Nasrudin, who was described as a threat to the national security. Hendrik said: “They didn’t kill him. The gun was fired just to frighten him, but the shots were not aimed at him.”

Last week, a well-known forensic doctor testified that Nasrudin had been shot from long distance, contradicting statements he previously made that the victim was killed at close range.