More than 50 injured in explosions at school mosque in Indonesia

Fifty-four people, including students and teachers, were injured on Friday after multiple explosions rocked a school mosque in the Indonesian capital during Friday prayers, local media reported.

The explosions occurred at State High School 72 in North Jakarta, the Jakarta Globe reported, citing police.

Most of the victims suffered minor, non-life-threatening injuries caused by broken glass and the impact of the blast’s shock waves.

After the incident, a bomb squad carried out a thorough inspection of the area.

Authorities have not yet determined the cause of the incident. A long-barreled firearm and a pistol were found at the scene, according to tvOne.

Read more: Floods in Papua, Indonesia, kill 15, mostly children

The long-barreled firearm was covered in graffiti, including the name ‘Brenton Tarrant’, the Australian white supremacist behind the 2019 Christchurch attack. The phrases ‘Welcome to Hell’ and ‘To Agartha’, referring to a conspiracy theory about advanced beings secretly ruling the Earth. in the year “1189”, when the Third Crusade began. and the name “Alexandre Bissonnette”, the 2017 Quebec mosque killer.

According to the Jakarta Globe, suspicious items such as components resembling an improvised explosive device, a remote control, and airsoft and revolver-type firearms were also discovered near the scene.

Police said the investigation is ongoing and all evidence will be examined by forensics and bomb disposal experts.

According to Mayndra Eka Wardhana, spokesperson of the Anti-Terrorism Squad 88 of the police, an elite counter-terrorism unit has been deployed to ascertain whether the incident involved the deliberate use of explosive materials.

“Our team is assessing whether a terrorist motive or network is involved,” he said.