The mosque explosion that tore through a school compound in North Jakarta has left Indonesia grappling with questions rarely asked in the capital: what could drive a student to set off a blast inside a mosque during Friday prayers?
Police said the number of victims has climbed to 96, most of them students from State Senior High School 72 (SMAN 72) in Kelapa Gading. The explosions, which occurred during the sermon, caused burns, shrapnel injuries, and panic among worshippers. Eyewitnesses reported two distinct blasts before smoke filled the prayer area.
Unprecedented attack inside a mosque
The mosque explosion stands out as one of the few violent incidents in the country’s recent history to occur inside a house of worship and at a school mosque. Indonesian attacks of this kind have typically targeted police posts, churches, or public venues. That this one took place during prayer in an educational setting makes it both shocking and unprecedented.
Police have identified a 17-year-old male student as the main suspect. He remains in hospital under surgery and has not yet been questioned. Authorities have recovered replica weapons and handwritten materials from the scene, now under forensic examination. The items reportedly carried references to the 2019 Christchurch mosque attack and white supremacist slogans, sparking fears that online extremist content may have influenced the suspect.
Investigators cautious as motive remains unclear
Despite speculation linking the act to bullying or radical ideology, officials have urged restraint. Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf said bullying reports should not lead to “premature conclusions,” while National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo confirmed the investigation is still open to multiple angles. He emphasized that authorities have not yet classified the case as terrorism.
Jakarta’s Governor Pramono Anung announced that the provincial government will cover all medical costs for victims and ordered close coordination between education and health agencies. President Prabowo Subianto also directed authorities to prioritize victim care and called the incident “a warning for vigilance” in schools and communities.
A warning for the digital age
Experts say the presence of extremist symbols and foreign attack references may point to a disturbing hybrid motive — part personal grievance, part fascination with global violence amplified by social media. Such patterns have emerged elsewhere, but this case marks Indonesia’s first clear instance of a possible white-supremacist influence tied to a local act of violence.
For now, investigators are sifting through online records and interviews with classmates to determine whether the suspect acted alone or under broader influence. With nearly a hundred young victims, the focus remains on healing, but the deeper question lingers: how far extremist imagery can travel, even into the safety of a Jakarta classroom.
