Police Reveal Student Attacker's Remorse Over Stabbing Female Student in Riau
A male student with initials R (21) was detained by police after stabbing F (23), a female student at Sultan Syarief Kasim State Islamic University (UIN Suska) in Riau, shortly before her thesis defence. The perpetrator has expressed remorse for his actions.
“The suspect is currently stating deep remorse and wishes to repent, and is drawing closer to spirituality during the legal process,” said Zahwani Pandra Arsyad, Head of Public Relations at Riau Regional Police, in a statement on Monday (2 March 2026).
Pandra stated that the suspect had premeditated the assault. The suspect prepared a sharp weapon one day before the victim was scheduled to defend her thesis.
“From our investigation, this act was premeditated. The intention emerged in 2025, whilst the sharp weapon was prepared one day before the incident, ahead of the victim’s thesis defence on 26 February 2026,” he explained.
The suspect is currently detained at Pekanbaru Police Station. For his actions, the suspect faces a maximum sentence of 12 years imprisonment.
“This case is being processed under Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code, with multiple charges including Article 469 of the Criminal Code. The maximum punishment reaches 12 years imprisonment,” he stated.
Motive for the Stabbing
Pekanbaru Police Chief Muharman Arta said the investigation was taken over by Pekanbaru Police Station, given the incident’s public attention.
“The suspect has also been transferred and is detained at Pekanbaru Police Station’s detention facility,” said Muharman in Pekanbaru on Friday (27 February).
Muharman revealed that the motive for the stabbing was rooted in romantic problems.
“The motive is currently still romantic issues, according to the suspect’s confession,” he added.
The stabbing incident occurred on the second floor of the Faculty of Islamic Law at UIN Suska on Thursday morning (26 February). At that moment, the victim was waiting for her thesis defence when she was suddenly stabbed by the perpetrator, who is also a student.