54 Injured in Mosque Explosion at Jakarta High School; Teen Suspect Under Surgery

At least 54 people have been injured in an explosion that tore through a mosque inside a high school complex during Friday prayers in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta.

Jakarta’s police chief, Asep Edi Suheri, confirmed that victims were rushed to nearby hospitals with injuries ranging from minor burns to severe wounds. Three people remain in critical condition.

Authorities identified the suspect as a 17-year-old male who is currently undergoing surgery. Police say investigations are ongoing to determine the motive behind the blast, which occurred at around 12:15 local time (05:15 GMT) in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta.

A bomb disposal team was deployed to the scene to secure the area and ensure no additional explosive devices were present.

Eyewitnesses told Antara News, Indonesia’s state-run agency, that the suspect — allegedly a student at the school — may have brought in a homemade bomb. Some classmates described him as a “loner” who had faced bullying and was known for drawing violent imagery.

Images shared by Antara appeared to show objects resembling firearms marked with disturbing inscriptions such as “Brenton Tarrant. Welcome to Hell” — a reference to the gunman who carried out the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings in New Zealand. However, a government minister later clarified that the weapons were replicas, not real guns.

Lodewijk Freidrich Paulus, Deputy Speaker of Indonesia’s House of Representatives, urged the public not to jump to conclusions about the motive, emphasizing that investigators were still gathering evidence.

Another object found at the scene was reportedly a dark green ammunition belt, further fuelling speculation about the student’s intent.

Indonesia, home to the world’s largest Muslim population, has faced sporadic attacks by extremists in recent years, though authorities have yet to link this incident to any terrorist group.