Homemade Bomb Explodes at Indonesian School; Student Suspected Due to Bullying

A homemade bomb detonated at Madrasah Aliyah Negeri (MAN) 3 Padang in West Sumatra on Tuesday, prompting a police investigation. The explosion occurred around 11:30 AM local time, leading school security to discover the device and report it to authorities.

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A 12th-grade student with the initial R was secured, triggered by psychological issues.

The primary suspect is a 17-year-old male student, identified by the initial R, who is reportedly in the 12th grade. According to the Head of Public Relations for the West Sumatra Regional Police, Kombes Susmelawati Rosya, the student's actions were triggered by psychological issues stemming from being a victim of bullying at school. He allegedly resorted to creating a low-explosive device as a response.

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So he retaliated by taking a shortcut, making a bomb with a low explosion or low explosive.

During the initial investigation, police, along with the Densus 88 counter-terrorism unit, seized several items from the suspect. These included a black box, a black bag, a mobile phone, fireworks, a knife, arrows, marbles, bolts, and other materials. The explosion was reportedly contained to a single detonation near a classroom, and fortunately, no injuries were reported.

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It exploded once, next to the classroom. There were no victims.

Further details revealed that the suspect claimed inspiration from a past bombing incident at SMAN 72 Jakarta. He also admitted to learning how to assemble the explosive device online, reportedly joining several online groups discussing its creation. Police are currently verifying these claims and delving deeper into the student's motives and online activities.

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The perpetrator also admitted to learning how to make explosives online and was inspired by the bomb incident at SMA Negeri 72 Jakarta in 2025. This motive is still being investigated by the investigation team.