Man Arrested in West Java for Bomb Making and Dissemination

A 25-year-old man, identified by the initials MSA, has been arrested by police in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia, for allegedly possessing the capability to construct both low-explosive and high-explosive bombs and for disseminating bomb-making tutorials. Police seized several homemade bombs, manufacturing materials, and components for firearms from MSA's residence. According to Kabid Humas Polda Jabar (Head of Public Relations for West Java Regional Police) Kombes Pol Hendra Rochmawan, MSA is suspected of having conducted approximately 16 trials with high-explosive bombs and around 40 trials with low-explosive bombs. These detonation experiments were reportedly videotaped and shared in a WhatsApp group named "True Crime Community," a community that discusses real crime cases. MSA allegedly acted as a "motivator of extreme crime" in this group, glorifying criminal acts and actively posting tutorials on how to make explosives. "Here, his role was as a motivator of extreme crime. So he glorifies crime in this group, and more severely, as a maker of explosive manufacturing tutorials. With his self-taught ability, his ability to learn something, he teaches in that group and actively sends posts," revealed Hendra. Among the seized evidence were a mortar projectile resembling a tank shell (diameter 8.8 cm, length 44 cm, caliber 75-80 mm), 50 blank rounds, 50 rounds of 5.5 mm caliber live ammunition, and chemical substances such as potassium chlorate, sulfur, black powder, and baking soda. Also found were aluminum powder, thinner, gauze powder, potassium, zinc powder, detonator powder, rush powder, complete with grinding stones, muto, and digital scales. Furthermore, officers discovered grenade casings, three firearm barrels, a spring, a trigger, and stainless steel pieces of various cylindrical sizes intended to be assembled into firearms. "A unit of crossbow along with five arrows, bowstrings, arrow quivers and bags, archery medals, eight packs of metal arrowheads, and arrow shafts made of wood or fiber were also seized," he explained. Other evidence included backpacks, books, religious texts, cement, fuses, tweezers, rulers, charcoal powder, detonator casings, small bottles, latex gloves, and fermented fire fuse bottles. Police also secured various tools and protective equipment, including chisels, wire brushes, toothbrushes, grinding wheels, caves, clamps, soldering irons, hot glue guns, fiber plates, hacksaws, wire sandpaper, cutters, drill bits, sewing thread, writing instruments, four steel helmets with foam, covers, visors, and two key sets, as well as hand and leg protectors. Kasubdit 1 Dirkrimum Polda Jabar AKBP Rikky Aries Setiawan stated that based on the examination, MSA's bomb-making skills were learned through social media. He was also inspired by a bombing incident that occurred in Bandung several years ago. "Adopting that incident, it inspired this suspect to create and plan to try again," he said. Information Source: CNN Indonesia