GLOBAL - At least 54 people, mostly students, were injured after two explosions rocked a mosque at a state high school in Jakarta, Indonesia, during Friday prayers on November 7, 2025. Authorities have identified a 17-year-old male student from the school as the primary suspect; he was among those injured and underwent surgery, according to Indonesian officials.

The blasts occurred around 12:15 PM Western Indonesia Time (8:15 AM EAT) at the SMA 72 state high school, located within a navy compound in North Jakarta's Kelapa Gading neighbourhood. Witnesses reported hearing two loud explosions, one from inside and another from outside the mosque, just as the Friday sermon was beginning, causing panic among students who fled the scene as grey smoke filled the building.

National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo confirmed at a press conference at the presidential palace that the suspect was a student at the school and was one of two individuals who required surgery for injuries sustained in the blasts. "Our personnel are currently conducting an in-depth investigation to determine the suspect's identity and the environment where he lives, including his house and others," Prabowo stated on Friday. The number of injured was initially reported as 55 but was later revised to 54 by Jakarta Police spokesperson Budi Hermanto. As of late Friday, 33 students remained hospitalized for treatment of burns and injuries from flying glass and blast fragments.

Motive Under Investigation

While the official motive remains under investigation, police are actively exploring bullying as a potential factor. Local media reports indicated the suspect, a grade 12 student, had been bullied and may have sought revenge. Fellow students described the suspect as a "loner" who often created violent drawings. "We are still investigating the possibility that bullying was a factor that motivated the suspect to carry out the attack," spokesperson Budi Hermanto told reporters. He noted that obtaining information was challenging as many witnesses were also victims requiring medical care and psychological support.

Investigators recovered a toy submachine gun from the scene inscribed with white supremacist slogans. According to General Prabowo, the inscriptions included "14 words," a well-known white supremacist slogan, and a reference to Brenton Tarrant, the perpetrator of the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings in New Zealand that killed 51 people. Authorities are investigating how the suspect assembled the item and the significance of the markings. Despite these findings, officials have urged the public not to speculate about a terrorist motive until the investigation by Indonesia's elite anti-terrorism unit, Detachment 88, is complete.

Global Context: Youth Radicalization

This incident occurs amid growing global concern over the online radicalization of young people. Security analysts note that while Indonesia has seen a period with no major large-scale terrorist attacks since late 2022, known as the "Zero Attack Phenomenon," the threat of extremism has evolved, shifting towards lone-wolf actors radicalized online. Reports from Europe and Australia show a disturbing trend of minors being involved in terrorism-related investigations and offenses. Experts point to social media algorithms, online gaming communities, and feelings of social alienation as key factors accelerating radicalization processes that once took months into weeks or even days.

Indonesia has been actively working to counter violent extremism through national action plans. The government is currently finalizing its 2025–2029 strategy, which focuses on community resilience, youth engagement, and deradicalization programs. The Jakarta school attack underscores the complex challenges nations face in preventing violence stemming from a confluence of personal grievances like bullying and exposure to global extremist ideologies online. Authorities are providing trauma counseling for the students and teachers of SMA 72 as the investigation continues.