JAKARTA, Nov 12 — The Indonesian police have ruled out terrorism in a series of explosions at a North Jakarta school last week that injured 96 people, confirming the blasts were carried out by a 17-year-old student acting alone.
Four homemade devices detonated at three locations in State Senior High School (SMAN) 72 on Friday (November 7), inside a Navy housing complex in Kelapa Gading, forcing the students and staff to flee.
Jakarta Police Chief Inspector-General Asep Edi Suheri said that three other devices at two sites were safely defused.
“The individual acted independently and had no links to any terrorist network,” he said in a statement today, adding that 18 witnesses, including teachers, students, victims and the suspect’s family members, had been questioned.
The investigators are still analysing the forensic results of the explosives and digital data from the suspect’s devices.
Of the 96 injured, 67 suffered minor injuries, 26 moderate and three serious. A total of 68 have been discharged, while 28 remain in three hospitals.
Criminal Investigation Unit head Commissioner Iman Imanuddin said the suspect acted out of emotional distress.
“He felt isolated and believed there was no one he could share his problems with,” he said, noting that the police were working with the Child Protection Commission.
The suspect is being investigated under the Child Protection Law, the Criminal Code and the Emergency Law, but will be treated as a minor.
Counterterrorism unit Densus 88 said the teenager had been inspired by mass attackers abroad, having written more than six names on a toy weapon recovered at the scene.
These included Christchurch mosque gunman Brenton Tarrant, Quebec mosque attacker Alexandre Bissonnette, and a 2024 school shooter in Madison, the United States.
The suspect reportedly spent hours in online communities that glorified violence and, since the start of the year, had sought ways to express his anger.
“In that group, brutality was celebrated, and he wanted to be seen,” said Densus 88 spokesperson Police Commissioner Mayndra Eka Wardhana.
