The authorities see a possible attack behind the explosions that took place in one mosque in its capital IndonesiaJakarta, which resulted in the injury of dozens of people during the Friday prayer (7/11/2025). A 17-year-old school student is considered a suspect.
Indonesian police said 55 people were in hospital with minor to serious injuries, including burns, after explosions at a mosque inside a school complex in Kelapa Gading district.
“The sound shook us. He was too strong. Our hearts started pounding, we couldn’t breathe, and we ran outside,” said 43-year-old Luciana, who was working in the school canteen at the time. He told of multiple explosions, broken windows and panic as dozens of people ran out of the compound.
“I thought it was a problem with electrical cables, or that the sound system had exploded, but we didn’t know exactly what it was because we ran outside as white smoke rose above the mosque.”
Deputy Speaker of Parliament Sufmi Dashko Ahmad told reporters after visiting a hospital that the young man undergoes surgery, without giving further details or a possible motive.
Indonesian Police Chief Listio Sitjit Prabowo said the suspect is a student at the nearby school and that an investigation into his past and motive is underway.
“We have identified the alleged assailant, and we are now investigating the identity of the assailant, his surroundings, including his home and other things,” he said.
The police found a “toy gun” at the sign with inscriptions on it, Indonesia’s presidential palace said without elaborating.
Indonesia has a history of attacks on churches and Western targets, but not on mosques, and militant Islamist activity has been largely suppressed in recent years.
#Indonesia: Multiple explosions hit a mosque inside a school complex in North Jakarta’s Kelapa Gading area during Friday prayers, injuring at least 54 people, mostly students.
Early reports mention that police detained a 17 year old suspect and recovered a vest, bomb-making… pic.twitter.com/SFDrJMqvl9
— POPULAR FRONT (@PopularFront_) November 7, 2025
OR police cordoned off the complex as a crime scene, with black-clad police with assault rifles outside the compound’s iron gates while emergency services vehicles and armored vehicles are lined up on the road.
The complex is located in a busy area on land largely owned by the Navy, where many active military and retired officers live.
At the scene, a row of shoes were outside the green mosque while forensics combed the area for clues. A damaged donation box was on the groundbut the main structure does not appear to have suffered major damage on the outside.
“I was looking for our children who go to school there. It was very crowded, we saw many injured, some with their faces full of wounds,” said local resident Immanuel Tarigan. According to the state-run Antara news agency, Deputy Security Minister Lodewijk Friedrich said there were two explosions.