Padang — A grade 12 student detonated a homemade bomb outside a classroom at MAN 3 Padang, a state Islamic high school in West Sumatra, during recess on Tuesday, 14 July 2026, an act police say was driven by prolonged bullying rather than any link to terrorist networks.
The explosion occurred around 10:15 a.m. local time in front of a classroom at the school, located in Balai Gadang, Koto Tangah District, after the student, identified by police only by the initials R or RF, lit the fuse of a low-explosive device with a lighter.
The blast left scorch marks on a desk and the classroom's exterior wall and cracked part of the structure, but police confirmed no students or teachers were hurt.
Padang Police Chief Commissioner Apri Wibowo said the student had prepared four homemade devices at home before school, including a cocktail and a gunpowder-based bomb, though only one detonated. Officers have recovered the remaining three.
"This bomb was deliberately set off inside the classroom, four units in total, one has been detonated, but three more have not, and have been secured," Wibowo said, adding that authorities were still analyzing the devices' contents.
Police said the attack targeted a classmate who the suspect accused of bullying him. West Sumatra Police Spokesperson Senior Commissioner Susmelawati Rosya said the student had confessed to suffering bullying since grade 11 and experiencing similar treatments from different people since childhood.
"This was triggered by deep psychological problems from repeatedly being a victim of bullying by his classmates," Rosya said.
Wibowo said the student appeared to be venting frustration rather than pursuing any ideological motive.
"This child is a victim of bullying from his friend. He wanted to vent his emotions toward that friend in this way," he said.
