Indonesian police name suspect over school bomb threat

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian police have named a 34-year-old man as a suspect after a WhatsApp message threatening to blow up a Jakarta elementary school disrupted the first day of the school year on Monday.

The suspect, identified only by his initials MY, faces terrorism threat charges following the hoax at Srengseng Sawah 15 Elementary School in South Jakarta.

"We have named a suspect. There are two pieces of evidence," said Adjunct Senior Commissioner Iskandarsyah, head of the South Jakarta Metro Police Criminal Investigation Unit, on Tuesday.

The threat was sent directly to a first-grade teacher and an administrative staff member as the school was launching its orientation period.

"Good morning and peace be upon you. Please be prepared. In a matter of minutes, the school premises... will explode, and we have prepared 11 points," the text message read.

School officials immediately alerted authorities, prompting an evacuation.

The National Police's Gegana bomb squad conducted a rigorous two-hour sweep of the premises but found no explosives or suspicious items.

Investigators revealed that MY had also sent a similar threatening message to a local neighborhood leader.

While police are still examining the exact motive behind the scare, preliminary interrogations indicate that the suspect acted out of curiosity.

If convicted under the Indonesian Criminal Code, he faces severe penalties for issuing terrorist threats.

Related news: Govt stresses school safety as police trace bomb threat suspect

Translator: Luthfia Miranda, Resinta Sulistiyandari

Editor: Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono

Copyright © ANTARA 2026