Blast at Indonesian mosque: As many as 54 people were injured during Friday prayers in capital city Jakarta. The November 7 explosion occurred in a mosque situated inside a school complex. Shortly after the incident, city police chief Asep Edi Suheri in a televised press conference said that police were investigating the cause of explosion at the site in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta.

“The initial data we have received indicates that there are approximately 54 individuals affected. Some have minor injuries, some moderate, and some have already been discharged,” the city police chief told reporters.

Preliminary investigation revealed that several items were found at the blast site, including body vest, firearms and bomb materials indicating links with terrorist activity, as per media reports. Although images of the mosque showed no extensive damage, the injured suffered minor to serious burns.

In comments broadcast by Kompas TV, Asep Edi Suheri said, “The initial data we have received indicates that there are approximately 54 individuals affected. Informing about the intensity of injuries, he said, “Some have minor injuries, some moderate, and some have already been discharged.”

As authorities tried to determine the cause of the blast, they cordoned off the area and “were processing the crime scene”, Asep said. Most of the victims sustained injuries ranging from minor to severe due to glass shards. The cause of the explosions has not yet been determined, but they came from near the mosque’s loudspeaker, according to Jakarta Police Chief Asep Edi Suheri, as reported by AP.

Suheri said an anti-bomb squad that was deployed at the scene found toy rifles and a toy gun near the mosque.

“Police are still investigating the scene to determine the cause of the blasts,” Suheri said, and urged against speculation that the incident was an attack before police investigation is completed. “Let the authorities work first,” Suheri said. “We will convey whatever the results are to the public.” Moreover, help desks in two hospitals — Cempaka Putih Islamic Hospital Jakarta and Yarsi Hospital — were set up to assist relatives in finding injured victims.