Explosion at mosque in Jakarta injures 55 people, teen suspect identified
The suspected perpetrator is about 17 years old and currently undergoing surgery, said deputy house speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad.
· CNA · JoinRead a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
JAKARTA: Two blasts at a school mosque in the Indonesian capital Jakarta injured at least 50 people on Friday (Nov 7), authorities said, with a student accused of being responsible for the incident.
The explosions took place at a North Jakarta high school around 12.15pm local time, sparking panic among the students.
"It immediately turned chaotic at the school; everyone ran outside to the field," 16-year-old Muhammad Rizky Muzaffar told AFP.
"Many of the students were injured, and a lot of them were taken straight to the hospital," he said, adding that the blast took place just before Friday prayers started at the school mosque.
Police are investigating the cause of the explosion at the site in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, city police chief Asep Edi Suheri told a televised press conference earlier in the day. The site is on largely navy-owned land, and is home to many military personnel and retired officers.
A total of 55 people were admitted to hospitals, 33 of whom were "still receiving medical treatment", Jakarta police spokesman Budi Hermanto said.
Asep said authorities had also set up posts in two hospitals to assist relatives in finding injured victims.
Subscribe to CNA’s Morning Brief
An automated curation of our top stories to start your day.
This service is not intended for persons residing in the E.U. By clicking subscribe, I agree to receive news updates and promotional material from Mediacorp and Mediacorp’s partners.
Loading
National police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo said the suspect was a student who was injured and undergoing surgery.
"Regarding the motive, we are currently investigating various kinds of information," Listyo said at a news conference.
Lodewijk Freidrich Paulus, deputy coordinating minister of politics and security, urged the public not to rush to judgment.
"Don't jump to the conclusion that this is a terrorist act," Lodewijk was quoted as saying by the Antara state news agency, saying a probe was underway.
He said the explosions took place at the back of the mosque on the school campus and near its door.
'TWO LOUD EXPLOSIONS'
Witnesses told local television stations that they heard at least two loud blasts around midday, just as the sermon had started at the mosque at SMA 72, a state high school.
Antara also quoted the deputy chief security minister Lodewijk Freidrich as saying there were two explosions at the mosque.
Students and others ran out in panic as grey smoke filled the mosque.
"We were so surprised by the sound, it was massive. Our hearts were beating fast, we couldn't breathe, and we ran outside," said Luciana, 43, who was working at the school canteen at the time. She described multiple blasts, broken windows and panic as dozens fled the complex.
"I thought it was an electrical wiring problem, or the sound system exploded, but we didn't know exactly what it was because we ran out just as a white smoke billowed from the mosque."
Earlier, the Jakarta Fire and Rescue Agency said that the explosion originated from a speaker at the school.
Sulikha Sutiii, 73, a food stall owner who operates a business about 50m from the school, told CNA: “I heard two loud explosion-like bomb sounds. But I thought perhaps those were trucks which collided with one another."
She added that the authorities started to arrive at the school about 10 minutes after the explosions.
When CNA arrived at the scene at about 5.30pm local time, about 100 people – including members of the public and media - were seen gathering in front of the school, which had its gates shut.
Some soldiers were seen leaving and entering the school compound.
According to CNN Indonesia, Deputy Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Lodewijk Freidrich Paulus said that a photo of a purported weapon, circulating on social media, is “just a toy”.
Some local news reports said the toy weapon purportedly contained inscriptions with white supremacist slogans and a reference to Brenton Tarrant, who killed 51 people in a terrorist attack on two mosques in New Zealand in 2019.
"There was a picture of it, but it turned out to be a toy gun, not a real gun, after we checked it was a toy gun," Lodewijk was quoted as saying by CNN Indonesia.
Police found a "toy weapon" at the scene with some inscriptions on it, Indonesia's presidential palace said, without elaborating.
Asep the city police chief had urged against speculation before the police investigation is completed.
"Police are still investigating the scene to determine the cause of the blasts,” he said.
“Let the authorities work first. We will convey whatever the results are to the public.”
SCENES AT HOSPITALS
Victims of the blasts were mostly sent to two hospitals in Central Jakarta - Cempaka Putih Islamic Hospital and Yarsi Hospital.
When CNA arrived at Cempaka Putih Islamic Hospital at around 7.30pm local time, dozens of journalists were gathered outside the hospital’s emergency unit where about 30 victims were being treated.
The unit was closed for the public. A police information post has been set up in front of the hospital where several police officers were stationed.
It was a similar scene at Yarsi Hospital, where 10 victims were receiving treatment.
Nuril Fatah, 24, told CNA that his younger brother Adillah Rizki Muhammad, 16, was only 1m away from the explosion and got injured on the right side of his head and ear, and needed stiches.
“I was shocked. I didn’t believe it when I heard it (the news),” said Nuril at Cempaka Putih Islamic Hospital, where Adillah was being treated.
Zainal Arifin, an 11th-grade student at SMA 72, is another victim receiving treatment at the same hospital.
His mother, Mistri, told news outlet Kumparan that her son suffered multiple shrapnel wounds across his body and his shoulder and face were burned. She described his condition as serious.
“He’s about to undergo surgery for his injuries. I just hope everything goes smoothly,” she added.
Dante, a student who was attending prayers at the mosque, also told Kumparan that the explosion threw nails in the air, injuring five of his friends.
“(Two of them) were hit in the hands and feet, hit by nails," he said, initially believing that the explosion came from the mosque’s sound system.
Local resident Immanuel Tarigan added: "I was looking for our kids who go to school there. It was crowded, we saw a lot of injured victims, there were some whose faces were destroyed."
Antara reported that authorities were alerted to the explosion at about 12.10pm local time, and that two fire trucks were deployed to extinguish a fire.
News channels KompasTV and MetroTV showed footage of a police line around the school with ambulances standing by. Images of the mosque showed no extensive damage.
Indonesia has a history of attacks on churches and Western targets - but not mosques. Islamist militancy has largely been suppressed in recent years.
Additional reporting by Kiki Siregar.
Newsletter
Morning Brief
Subscribe to CNA’s Morning Brief
An automated curation of our top stories to start your day.
Sign up for our newsletters
Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app