Jakarta, Indonesia – An explosion during Friday prayers at a mosque located within a high school complex in Jakarta, Indonesia, injured 54 people, authorities reported. Injuries ranged from minor to serious, including burns, according to Jakarta police chief Asep Edi Suheri.
The incident occurred around 12:15 local time (05:15 GMT) in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta. A 17-year-old student is in custody and undergoing surgery, officials stated.
Police have deployed a bomb disposal team to the state-run high school to gather evidence and search for additional devices. Initial reports indicate three people sustained serious injuries, 17 suffered minor injuries, and others have been treated and discharged.
Witness accounts suggest a possible homemade bomb. One student told Indonesia’s Antara news agency the suspect had been bullied.Other students described the suspect as a “loner” who drew violent imagery and was found on the ground after the blast. A school cook reported seeing white smoke and broken windows following a “massive” blast, stating, “Our hearts were beating fast, we couldn’t breathe.”
Authorities initially confirmed the presence of two objects resembling firearms at the scene – one appearing to be a submachine gun and another a pistol. The submachine gun-type object was inscribed with “14 words. For Agartha” on its barrel and “Brenton Tarrant.Welcome to hell” on its body, referencing the perpetrator of the 2019 Christchurch, New Zealand mosque shootings. However, a minister visiting the scene, lodewijk Freidrich paulus, later told CNN Indonesia the objects “turned out to be a toy gun, not a real gun,” urging the public not to presume a “terrorist act” while the investigation continues. A dark green belt for storing gun cartridges was also recovered.
Indonesia has the world’s largest Muslim population. The Jakarta Metropolitan Police is investigating the suspect’s background and the motive behind the explosion.
