Jakarta mosque blast injures 55 during Friday prayers, teen suspect identified
A 17-year-old has been identified as the suspected perpetrator, and an investigation is under way
Explosions at a mosque in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta that injured dozens of people during Friday prayers could have been an attack, officials indicated, with a 17-year-old student identified as the suspected perpetrator.
Police said 55 people were in hospitals with a range of minor to serious injuries, including burns, after the blasts at the mosque inside a school complex in the Kelapa Gading area.
Deputy House Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, speaking to media after visiting a hospital, said the young male suspect was undergoing surgery, without giving more details or a possible motive.
Indonesia’s national police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo said the suspect was a student at the adjacent school, and an investigation was under way into his background and motive.
“We have identified the suspected perpetrator, and we are currently investigating the perpetrator’s identity, his environment, including his home and other things,” he said.
Police found a “toy weapon” at the scene with some inscriptions on it, Indonesia’s presidential palace said, without elaborating.