Medan suicide bombing suspect identified as 24-year-old student, wore ‘ojol’ attire at time of blast

Police have identified a 24-year-old man by his initials RMN as the suspect of the suicide bombing that took place in the parking lot of the Medan Police station in the North Sumatra capital this morning. 

RMN allegedly wore a jacket synonymous with that of app-based motorcycle taxi drivers (locally known as ojek online or ojol for short) at the time of bombing. According to National Police Spokesman Dedi Prasetyo, he wore it as a disguise so that he could be allowed to enter the police compound.

“[The suspect] wrapped [the bomb] to his body. Based on reports from the crime scene, he conducted the terrorist attack by himself, but we’re still looking into it. At the moment, there’s only one suspect,” Dedi told reporters today in Jakarta, as quoted by Detik.

The Indonesian police’s elite counter-terrorism squad Densus 88 are reportedly tracking RMN’s online records to find any possible connection to a terrorist network, as the suspect was allegedly active on social media. 

Police in Medan said officers at the station inspected RMN twice before he got into the compound, as they alleged that he had been acting suspicious. RMN told the police that he went there to apply for a police clearance letter (SKCK), one of the requirements for civil service recruitment. Officers proceeded to open his bag only to find a book inside. As there was a shift change for officers at the time, RMN finally got into the police station along with other SKCK applicants.

Earlier today, police raided three houses in the Medan Marelan sub-district. As turns out, the first house had been empty for some time, as RMN and his wife had moved out and sold it. At the second house, police did not find RMN’s wife but proceeded to arrest his in-laws instead. Authorities then located the third house, where RMN and his wife had supposedly lived for a month prior to the bombing. 

RMN’s neighbors reportedly told local media that he was indeed an ojol driver. Police have yet to disclose the type of bomb used in the blast. At the time of writing, RMN remains the only fatality in the blast, while there are reportedly six other casualties with varying degrees of injuries.