End of the Road for Molotov Thrower in Koja Mistaken Target Case
The flight of the suspected Molotov cocktail thrower whose attack mistakenly hit a mother and her child in Koja, North Jakarta, has ended. Police have arrested two perpetrators involved in the incident.
The incident occurred on Jalan Mandiri II, Koja, on Monday (22/6) at around 09.00 WIB. CCTV footage showed a Molotov cocktail being thrown near a house. The device exploded just as a mother riding a motorcycle with her child was passing by. To avoid the blast, the mother crashed into the wall of a resident’s house and fell.
Koja Police Chief Kompol Andry Suharto stated there were four individuals involved in the Molotov throwing, with the thrower identified by the initial M. Investigations revealed that M has an ex-wife, R, and was reportedly upset that R had a new boyfriend, U. Ironically, according to police, M also already has a new partner. M allegedly targeted U’s family, specifically K, who is U’s uncle.
K was the actual intended target at the scene. He is the man seen in the CCTV footage holding a mobile phone near one of the houses. “M was jealous of R and U. The jealousy was misplaced, targeting U’s family. In the video, the person sitting and holding a phone is U’s uncle, initial K,” said Andry. In the recording, K, wearing a blue shirt, is seen dodging as the Molotov cocktail explodes nearby. K and several others then ran after the perpetrator.
At the same moment, the mother with her child passed the location. The explosion nearly set the mother’s motorcycle on fire. “The perpetrator came to K’s house again, shouting from a distance. The Molotov cocktail was thrown at K but missed. It fell onto the road just as the mother was passing by on her motorbike. The mother did not know the perpetrator or anyone involved. The perpetrator wanted to hit K but missed, and the mother happened to be passing,” he explained. The mother and child fell after hitting a resident’s wall when the Molotov exploded right beside them. Andry confirmed the mother and child did not suffer any burns.
“Only one person threw the Molotov, but he arrived with about three friends,” he said.
Police initially visited M’s house, but the perpetrator was not there. “The perpetrator’s house and other locations have been checked. Still no sign, and we are expanding the search to several other places,” Kompol Andry said at the time, adding that investigators were in pursuit.
In the latest development, police have arrested two perpetrators. “Correct, two people have been secured,” said North Jakarta Metro Police Deputy Chief of Criminal Investigation, Kompol Bima Sakti, on Monday (29/6/2026). He did not detail the chronology of the arrests but confirmed one of those arrested is M, the main perpetrator who threw the Molotov cocktail. “The two perpetrators were arrested in Cipinang and Cilincing. The incident occurred on 22 June, and they were secured on 26 June,” he stated.