Sukabumi Police Arrest 7 Suspects in Attack on Students with Molotov Bombs

JAKARTA - The Sukabumi Police arrested seven suspects in an attack using a molotov bomb against a student in the Cicurug area, Sukabumi, West Java, in less than 24 hours after the incident on Saturday (25/4) evening.

Sukabumi Police Chief AKBP Samian said the quick disclosure was the result of the rapid movement of the police after receiving a report from the community regarding the brutal act that befell a student.

"After receiving the report, the team immediately conducted an intensive investigation. As a result, in less than a day, we managed to secure seven suspects who were directly involved in the attack," said Samian as quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, April 28.

He gave his appreciation to the personnel in the field who moved quickly to identify the perpetrators until they were successfully secured in a short time.

Head of Criminal Investigation Unit of Sukabumi Police, AKP Hartono, explained that the seven suspects who were secured were each initials HA (19), IM (16), MN (15), AP (16), MA (15), AL (16), and MS (16).

From the results of the examination, it was known that the attack was triggered by a trivial matter. One of the perpetrators' colleagues admitted to being offended because he felt spat on by the victim group while buying cigarettes.

"Feeling humiliated, he then complained to his colleagues until they agreed to carry out the attack as a form of revenge," said Hartono.

In carrying out their actions, the suspects HA and IM were tasked with preparing molotov bombs, while the other five perpetrators carried various types of sharp weapons such as samurai, gobang, corbek, and celurit.

Upon arrival at the location where the victim was hanging out in Benteng Tengah Village, Kutajaya Village, the two perpetrators immediately threw a Molotov bomb towards the crowd.

As a result of the explosion, a student with the initials MZ (16) suffered serious burns over his entire body and had to undergo intensive care.

In addition to securing the suspects, the police also seized a number of evidence in the form of various types of sharp weapons and the victim's clothes that were burned due to the explosion of molotov cocktails.

The suspects were charged with Article 307 paragraph (1) and/or Article 466 paragraphs (1) and (2) of the RI Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code related to acts of violence together against minors and possession of sharp weapons without a permit.

"Considering that most of the perpetrators are still under the age of 18, the legal process will continue to run by referring to the provisions in the Child Protection Law," said Hartono.