At least 55 injured after multiple explosions hit mosque in Indonesia

Witnesses described hearing two blasts just as the sermon started at the mosque at a school in the capital Jakarta. Students and others ran out in panic as grey smoke filled the building.

Military personnel standing guard at the scene. Pic: AP
Image: Military personnel standing guard at the scene. Pic: AP
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At least 55 people have been injured after multiple explosions rocked a mosque at a school in Indonesia.

The blasts were heard in the Kelapa Gading neighbourhood of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, during Friday prayers.

Witnesses told local TV they heard two loud blasts around midday, just as the sermon started at the mosque.

Students and others ran out in panic as grey smoke filled the building at SMA 27, a state high school within a navy compound.

A 17-year-old has been identified as the "suspected perpetrator".

Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, the country's deputy house speaker, said the suspect was undergoing surgery.

Pic: AP
Image: Pic: AP

At least 55 people, mostly students, were injured in the blasts, the city's police chief Asep Edi Suheri said.

He said the cause of the explosions is not yet known but they came from near the mosque's loudspeaker.

Most victims suffered injuries from glass shards, with multiple casualties taken to nearby hospitals.

Some 20 students remain in hospital, three with serious injuries, the police chief said.

A bomb squad deployed at the scene found toy rifles and a toy gun nearby, he added.

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Pic: AP
Image: Pic: AP

The police chief urged people to avoid speculating about the blasts before the police investigation is completed.

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"Police are still investigating the scene to determine the cause of the blasts," he said.

"Let the authorities work first. We will convey whatever the results are to the public."