Possible Bullying Motive for Indonesian School Attack
Authorities in Jakarta have identified a 17-year-old male student as the suspect in an explosion that occurred during prayers at a high school mosque. Police are probing whether bullying may have driven the teenager to commit the attack.
The blasts at SMA 72, a state high school, took place around midday on Friday, just as the sermon began. At least 54 people, most of them students, suffered injuries. Witnesses told local media they heard two loud explosions from inside and outside the mosque, followed by thick grey smoke that caused panic among worshippers.
Investigators recovered a toy submachine gun bearing white supremacist symbols, believed to belong to the suspect. Police dismissed rumors that the incident was related to terrorism.
“The suspect is a 17-year-old male student,” said Deputy House Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad after visiting injured students in the hospital.
According to police, preliminary reports suggest the teenager was a grade 12 student who may have planned a suicide attack as an act of revenge for being bullied.
“We are still investigating the possibility that bullying was a factor that motivated the suspect to carry out the attack,” stated Jakarta Police spokesperson Budi Hermanto.
Author’s Summary
A 17-year-old Jakarta student allegedly targeted his school’s mosque in a revenge attack linked to bullying, leaving dozens injured as police continue their investigation.