Suspected Bomb Assembler at MAN 3 Padang Claims to Have Acted Alone, Triggered by Bullying

The Women and Children’s Protection Unit (UPTD PPA) of West Sumatra Province has confirmed it is providing accompaniment to a student, referred to as XX, suspected of assembling a bomb at MAN 3 Padang. The accompaniment aims to ensure all the child’s rights are fulfilled during the legal process at the Padang Police headquarters.

Ruri Juswira, Head of the Women and Children Division at the West Sumatra Terrorism Prevention Coordination Forum (FKPT) and Head of UPTD PPA, stated that the team accompanied the examination from the beginning until late at night to ensure the process complied with child protection provisions. “Alhamdulillah, we have provided accompaniment for the child perpetrator. Based on his preliminary statement, the action was an individual act motivated by a desire to retaliate against friends who allegedly bullied him,” Ruri said on Wednesday (15/7).

Nevertheless, Ruri stressed that this information is still preliminary. The possibility of involvement with a terrorist network or other parties remains part of the ongoing investigation by the police. “We cannot yet conclude whether there is network involvement because investigators are still looking into it,” she said.

During the examination, UPTD PPA ensured that the child’s rights were not violated. The suspect was reportedly cooperative and did not appear to be under pressure. “The child cooperated well, gave his statement comfortably, and was not under duress during the examination,” Ruri explained.

The accompaniment lasted until around midnight. Following the initial examination, XX and his family were placed in the UPTD PPA West Sumatra Temporary Shelter for the duration of the further investigation. During the in-depth assessment, the suspect’s mother claimed that her son had experienced bullying since elementary school, which continued through his time at Islamic junior and senior high school. This information is now part of the police investigation.

Ruri described XX as a quiet and introverted child. From the preliminary assessment, no prominent physical or socioeconomic background issues were found. “He is quiet, like a typical introvert. He has never received harsh treatment from his family, either physically or verbally. He speaks politely and softly. From our observation, he seems very uncomfortable when treated or spoken to roughly,” she said.

However, Ruri cautioned that all this information is still based on initial findings. The police are continuing to develop the investigation to fully uncover the motive, the process of assembling the explosives, the origin of the materials used, and the possible involvement of other parties in the case. The case has drawn significant attention as it involves not only security aspects but also child protection and the importance of preventing bullying in educational environments. Authorities have urged the public to await the official investigation results and refrain from speculating about any links to certain networks before investigators reach a conclusion.