A quiet Friday afternoon in Jakarta turned into chaos when a series of explosions rocked a mosque in the city’s Kelapa Gading area, injuring at least 54 people. The blasts happened just as worshippers had gathered for Friday prayers, sending shockwaves through Indonesia’s capital.
The mosque, located inside a high school complex, quickly became the focus of an intense police investigation. Officers have sealed off the area with yellow tape, calling it a “crime scene” while they work to determine what caused the explosions.
Jakarta’s police chief, Asep Edi Suhaeri, said the injured were rushed to hospitals across the city, with many suffering burns and other serious wounds. “We’re treating this very seriously. Our teams have secured the area and are gathering evidence,” he told reporters outside the mosque.
Early reports suggest that at least two blasts were heard during the prayer service. Deputy Chief Security Minister Lodewijk Freidrich confirmed the explosions, while investigators are still trying to uncover whether the incident was accidental or deliberate.
One person believed to be involved a 17-year-old male was badly hurt and is now undergoing surgery, according to Indonesia’s deputy house speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, who visited victims at the hospital.
Footage from the scene showed the green-painted mosque surrounded by police and curious onlookers. Rows of shoes lined the entrance, a quiet reminder of how ordinary the day had begun before panic took over.
The mosque sits in a busy part of North Jakarta on land owned by the navy, an area where many active and retired military officers live. With the investigation underway, authorities have urged calm while promising to uncover exactly what happened and ensure the safety of the community.
