Police Investigate Crime Scene at MAN 3 Padang After Student's Homemade Bomb Explodes

Police have conducted a crime scene investigation at Madrasah Aliyah Negeri (MAN) 3 Padang, West Sumatra, following an explosion caused by a student. The 17-year-old, identified by the initial R, brought a homemade bomb onto the school premises and detonated it.

‘The crime scene investigation is still underway,’ said National Police Densus 88 Antiterror spokesman Commissioner Mayndra Eka on Tuesday (14/7/2026).

Photographs received by detikcom showed the student, R, being presented at the scene while investigators, including personnel from the Indonesia Automatic Fingerprint Identification System (Inafis), carried out their work. Investigators also conducted a search at the student’s home. ‘Investigators are looking into how he assembled it,’ he added.

Police stated that R learned to assemble the bomb from the internet, inspired by a case at SMAN 72 in Jakarta. ‘The suspect also admitted to studying the manufacture of explosive materials online and was inspired by the bomb incident at a high school in Jakarta in 2025,’ he said.

Based on the suspect’s initial statement, the device was assembled independently using materials obtained online and made at home without his parents’ knowledge. ‘The perpetrator also admitted to joining several online groups that discuss the manufacture of explosives. All of these admissions are still in the process of verification and further investigation by law enforcement,’ Mayndra said.

The explosion occurred on Tuesday (14/7) at MAN 3, located in Balai Gadang Village, Koto Tengah District, Padang City. The West Sumatra Regional Police and the National Police’s Densus 88 Antiterror unit are investigating the case. ‘It exploded once, next to a classroom. There were no casualties,’ he explained.

Mayndra explained that the suspected homemade bomb was first discovered by a school security officer, who immediately reported the incident to the police. ‘From the initial examination, officers secured a number of items, including a black box, a black bag, a mobile phone, firecrackers, a knife, arrowheads, marbles, bolts, and several other items,’ he said.

Following an investigation, police carried out initial handling of R. Based on the preliminary investigation, the items are suspected to belong to R. ‘The identity of the victim referred to as the intended target of the action comes from the perpetrator’s statement and still requires further investigation,’ he stated.

There were no fatalities in the incident. R and the evidence have been secured by the police. Densus 88 and the West Sumatra Regional Police are questioning witnesses to further investigate the case.