BALI – The Bali police are hunting down two suspects following a deadly shooting at a villa in the island’s Badung regency early on Saturday that left one Australian man dead and another seriously wounded.

The deceased has been identified as Zivan Radmanovic, 32, while the surviving victim, Sanar Ghanim, 34, was rushed to a hospital with serious injuries, police said.

Bali Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Ariasandy told reporters on Sunday that the perpetrators were allegedly foreign nationals who spoke English with an Australian accent.

“Witnesses told the police that the two suspects spoke English with an Australian accent,” Ariasandy said.

Police have questioned seven witnesses from the area around the villa and reviewed CCTV footage collected from the scene.

“These include people who were present at the scene, the victim’s wife and other individuals in the area who helped the victims,” he added.

Investigators recovered at least 17 bullet casings, two intact projectiles and 55 projectile fragments from the crime scene.

Police have yet to conclude what type of weapon was used in the shooting. “It’s still under investigation,” Ariasandy said.

Asked how foreigners could have obtained a firearm in Bali, the commissioner explained that all firearms must be registered with the Indonesian Target Shooting and Hunting Association (Perbakin).

“We are still investigating how they got the weapon,” he said.

Previously, police superintendent Arif Batubara of the local police department said in a statement that two men stormed inside the victims’ villa in the popular tourist hub of Badung district just after midnight on Saturday and shot the victims.

According to some witnesses, the victims were in their room when they were shot. Radmanovic was found dead in the bathroom.

Some witnesses also said the suspects were wearing green jackets like those worn by local online ride-hailing drivers. When they exited the villa, they were heard speaking English with thick Australian accents.

When asked about rumors that the incident may have been linked to conflicts involving Australian criminal gangs, Ariasandy dismissed any initial speculation.

“Let’s wait for the investigation results,” he said.

The incident appears to be the first reported use of firearms in a targeted shootout involving foreign victims in Bali; a notable and troubling escalation in violent crime trends on the resort island.

More than 1.5 million Australians traveled to Bali in 2024, according to official tourism data, with Australians making up roughly a quarter of all international tourist arrivals.

Asia News Network/The Jakarta Post