Police Investigate Motive Behind School Bombing in Padang, Bullying Suspected as Trigger

Police are investigating the motive behind a bomb explosion at a school in Padang, West Sumatra, on Tuesday (14/7), which was carried out by a student identified by the initial R (17). Head of the Padang Police Criminal Investigation Unit, Kompol M Yasin, stated that initial examinations suggest the motive was bullying experienced by the perpetrator. “From our initial examination, we found that the motive of perpetrator R was bullying,” Kompol M Yasin said in Padang. R admitted to officers that he did not intend to detonate or burn the bomb he had assembled, but due to significant mental pressure, he ultimately decided to set it off on Tuesday. The perpetrator recounted experiencing both verbal and non-verbal bullying from primary school through to his current third year at a state Islamic senior high school (MAN). The bombing is suspected to have been R’s way of demonstrating his existence or identity within his social environment. The initial investigation also revealed that R learned how to make the explosive device autodidactically from the internet. He sourced the necessary raw materials and tools from online shops and assembled the device alone. The perpetrator had been learning to assemble the device for approximately the last four months, doing so secretly without the knowledge of his parents or other family members. The assembled device had been stored at his home until Tuesday, when he brought the dangerous object to school and detonated it. The explosion startled the school community and damaged several items, but caused no fatalities. As of Tuesday evening, R remained in custody at the Padang Police headquarters for initial examination, accompanied directly by his parents. While conducting the initial investigation, the Padang Police are also awaiting instructions and coordination from the National Police Headquarters and the Special Detachment (Densus) 88 Anti-Terror for further handling.