Explosion at Mosque in Jember Prompts Direct Response from East Java Police Commander

The Regional Police Commander (Kapolda) of East Java, Inspector General Nanang Avianto, directly monitored the crime scene investigation at an explosion that occurred at a mosque in the Pesona Raya Regency housing complex in Patrang District, Jember Regency, East Java.

He was accompanied by the Jember Police Chief, Senior Commissioner Bobby Adimas Condroputra, as he oversaw the area surrounding the mosque where the East Java Regional Police Bomb Disposal Team (Jibom Gegana) was conducting the investigation. However, he did not provide official statements regarding the explosion at the mosque in the Pesona Raya Regency housing complex in Patrang District.

Earlier, the Head of Criminal Investigation at Jember Police, Commissioner Angga Riatma, stated that police immediately sterilised the explosion site by installing police cordons and conducting a crime scene investigation to determine the cause of the blast.

“We cannot yet conclude the cause of the explosion, and the Jibom (bomb disposal) team from East Java Regional Police is still investigating at the mosque in the Pesona Raya Regency housing complex,” he said.

There were no fatalities, though one worshipper was taken to the emergency ward at Dr Soebandi Hospital in Jember after reportedly suffering ear disturbance following the loud explosion.

The explosion is believed to have originated from an unused cabinet near the male ablution area of the mosque, though eyewitness accounts mention an iron plate in the vicinity of the blast site. The Jember Police Department installed cordons around the mosque to prevent residents from approaching the location, whilst the East Java Regional Police Bomb Disposal Team worked to investigate the cause of the powerful explosion.

Activities at the mosque were temporarily halted due to concerns of secondary explosions, and the bomb disposal team swept the entire mosque area to confirm safety and conduct a thorough crime scene investigation. The mysterious explosion occurred during taraweeh prayers on Monday evening, 16 March 2026, at the mosque in the Pesona Regency housing complex in Patrang District, Jember Regency, East Java. The blast caused no fatalities but resulted in damage to the mosque roof and caused panic among worshippers performing taraweeh prayers and residents of the housing complex.