12 Suspects Arrested over Machete Attack in Mataram; Sickles and Arrows Seized

Police have arrested 12 people suspected of carrying out street machete attacks in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB). Officers also seized several weapons, including sickles and arrows, from the teenage suspects.

“We seized four sickles, one machete, one cobek (a duck-bill-shaped club), six arrows and one metal slingshot. These were seized from the 12 people we detained,” Mataram Police Criminal Investigation Unit chief AKP I Made Dharma Yulia Putra said on Tuesday (27 October 2026).

Dharma said the 12 people detained comprised 11 males identified by their initials: AR (16), R (18), IRS (17), MZA (17), KA (16), WY (19), SRP (18), MNR (15), S (15), MJTP (16) and DS (14). The other suspect is a 15-year-old female identified as DPS.

“We are continuing to investigate whether there are other suspects,” he said.

According to Dharma, the group is linked to assault cases involving sharp weapons on Jalan Airlangga and in the Udayana area of Mataram. He stressed that police were also still investigating a machete attack on Jalan Sriwijaya.

“The people we detained are suspected of being connected to the incidents in Udayana and outside Boxy on Jalan Airlangga. The Jalan Sriwijaya case has yet to yield any leads because, based on the information received, the incident involved a fall, and those involved were friends or knew one another,” he said.

“The role of each person and the identity of the suspected main perpetrator are still under investigation,” he added.