Man in Maluku Burns Prayer Hall Out of Frustration, Police Swiftly Arrest Suspect

A man identified by the initials SR (38) in Southeast Maluku district, Maluku province, set fire to a prayer hall (musala) that was under construction. He reportedly committed the arson out of frustration.

“We have arrested the perpetrator of the criminal act of burning a building that was planned to function as a prayer hall,” said Southeast Maluku Police Chief AKBP Rian Suhendi on Friday (20/2/2026).

The arson took place in Ohoi or Hako Village, Kei Besar Selatan sub-district, on Tuesday (18/2) at 10:00 Eastern Indonesian Time. The perpetrator was apprehended in less than 24 hours following the incident.

“As soon as we received the report, we immediately conducted a swift and measured investigation. The perpetrator was successfully detained and has been named a suspect,” he explained.

Rian stated that the fire had burned the rear section of the prayer hall building. Residents who witnessed the incident immediately moved to extinguish the flames, preventing the fire from spreading to the entire structure.

“The fire did burn the rear section of the building but was successfully extinguished thanks to the swift response of local residents. The blaze did not spread further and there were no casualties,” he said.