New Facts Emerge in Padang School Explosion: Police Say Perpetrator Was Victim of Bullying

The West Sumatra Regional Police have disclosed new findings in the case of an alleged homemade bomb brought by a student to Madrasah Aliyah Negeri (MAN) 3 Padang. Police stated that the 17-year-old student, identified as R, allegedly acted out of desperation after enduring repeated bullying. The findings emerged from initial investigations following the small explosion on the school grounds on Tuesday, 14 July 2026. Head of Public Relations for the West Sumatra Police, Senior Commissioner Susmelawati Rosya, said the perpetrator confessed to being a frequent target of mockery from his peers, which affected his mental state. “He was the object of his friends’ ridicule, so he acted like that,” she said on Tuesday. According to Rosya, the psychological pressure experienced by R was not momentary. Preliminary examinations indicate the student felt continuously targeted by bullying within his social circle. “So it was a deep psychological problem because he was a victim of bullying,” she said. Consequently, in addition to investigating the criminal aspects, the police are prioritising the psychological recovery of R. Authorities consider that handling this case must focus not only on law enforcement but also on the mental condition of the perpetrator, who is still a minor. “We are focusing on the child’s recovery because he did this not as part of a network, as one might think. We are directing efforts towards recovery to prevent further psychological harm, securing him while the examination proceeds,” she stated. Earlier, the Detachment 88 Anti-terror unit revealed initial findings behind the explosion at MAN 3 Koto Tangah, Padang. Police suspect the explosion originated from a homemade bomb assembled by the 17-year-old student R. Initial examinations showed the teenager admitted to learning how to assemble explosives via the internet and was inspired by the explosion at SMAN 72 Jakarta in 2025.