Jakarta High School Mosque Explosion
An explosion occurred during Friday prayers at a mosque located within a state-run high school complex in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, Indonesia. The incident, which took place around 12:15 local time (05:15 GMT), resulted in injuries to multiple individuals.
Casualties and Medical Response
City police chief Asep Edi Suheri confirmed that 54 people were admitted to hospitals following the explosion. Injuries reported ranged from minor to serious, including burns. Authorities detailed that three individuals sustained serious injuries, and 17 others received treatment for minor injuries. Additional affected individuals were treated and subsequently discharged.
Ongoing Investigation
The Jakarta Metropolitan Police have initiated an investigation to determine the cause of the explosion. As part of the inquiry, a bomb disposal team was deployed to the scene. Military personnel secured the area by cordoning off and guarding the entrance to the school complex.
Objects Recovered and Conflicting Accounts
A high-ranking Jakarta Metropolitan Police officer confirmed the presence of two objects resembling firearms at the scene. Images published by Indonesia's government-owned news agency Antara indicated one object appeared to be a submachine gun and the other a pistol. The submachine gun-type object reportedly bore inscriptions: "14 words. For Agartha." on its barrel and "Brenton Tarrant. Welcome to Hell." on its body. Brenton Tarrant is identified as the perpetrator of the 2019 mosque and Islamic centre shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand. A dark green belt designed for storing gun cartridges was also recovered from the site.
In contrast, Lodewijk Freidrich Paulus, a minister who visited the scene, informed CNN Indonesia that the items initially described as weapons "turned out to be a toy gun, not a real gun." Paulus advised the public against prematurely concluding the explosion was a "terrorist act" while investigations were still underway.
Separately, a pupil at the school alleged to Antara that a homemade bomb was brought to the mosque by a student who had reportedly been subjected to bullying.
Context
Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population.