House Speaker Puan Maharani: Padang School Bombing Not Ordinary Delinquency

House Speaker Puan Maharani has stated that the bomb explosion at Madrasah Aliyah Negeri (MAN) 3 Padang, West Sumatra, cannot be considered ordinary juvenile delinquency. She said the case serves as a serious warning that the character of youth problems has fundamentally shifted in the digital era. The suspected perpetrator is a student at MAN 3 Padang with a history of being bullied. Puan suspects a link between the psychological condition of the 17-year-old, identified by the initial R, and his motive for assembling and detonating the bomb at the school. “Various issues that were once viewed as juvenile delinquency have now evolved into high-risk behaviours that can threaten public safety,” she said in a written statement on Friday, 17 July 2026. The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician said that while the student’s actions cannot be justified, the case must be examined more deeply to understand why the child acted so desperately. She urged stakeholders not to overlook the student’s mental state. “What he did cannot be justified. However, psychological issues often have a significant impact, so the victim’s mental recovery must be a priority,” she said. Puan argued that the case highlights how risk factors such as bullying, psychological pressure, social isolation, exposure to violent digital content, and weak communication between schools, families, and health services can develop over a long period without being identified. She urged the government to ensure a coordination system linking schools, health facilities, local governments, law enforcement, and ministries to detect and address these risk factors before they escalate into violence. She stressed that handling juvenile delinquency requires a comprehensive approach, starting with a paradigm shift towards early prevention policies. Puan believes that disciplinary action or law enforcement after an incident is insufficient to address the evolving nature of youth problems. She called on the government to formulate a national strategy for preventing high-risk behaviour in children and adolescents, integrating policies on education, health, child protection, digital security, and family development into a single national framework. “Child protection must no longer be sectoral but must be built as an interconnected system with clear working mechanisms,” she said. A joint team from the West Sumatra Regional Police and the National Police’s Densus 88 anti-terrorism unit is investigating the explosion, which occurred at MAN 3 Padang on Tuesday, 14 July 2026, at around 11:30 WIB. Densus 88 spokesperson Commissioner Mayndra Eka Wardhana said the suspect is believed to have independently learned how to make explosives via the internet without his parents’ knowledge. Investigators also suspect the perpetrator was inspired by a similar bombing at SMAN 72 Jakarta in 2025. “The motive is still being investigated by the team,” Mayndra said in a written statement on Tuesday. Padang Police Criminal Investigation Unit Head Commissioner M. Yasin explained that initial examinations found the motive was bullying experienced by the suspect. The suspect told police he had not initially intended to detonate or burn the bomb, but severe mental pressure drove him to do so. The student recounted experiencing verbal and non-verbal bullying from elementary school through to his third year at MAN. Police view the bombing as the student’s way of asserting his identity within his social environment.