The day was still early when two army trucks pulled up in front of Defense Minister Amir Sjarifoeddin's residence on Jl. Opak, Yogyakarta. Under the orders of the capital's army commander, Maj. Abdul Karim Yusuf, the forces moved quickly. Their objective: to abduct Amir.

Amir's security detachment stood in their way. A firefight took place. Amir did not remain idle. He seized one of the abductor's weapons and pointed it at the driver of one the trucks