Indonesian Ulema Council shooting
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Government officials
| Indonesian Ulema Council shooting | |
|---|---|
| Location | Indonesian Ulema Council Headquarters, Menteng, Central Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia |
| Date | 2 May 2023 11:00 WIB (UTC+7) |
| Target | Indonesian Ulema Council officials Government officials |
Attack type | Shooting |
| Weapons | Glock Modified airgun |
| Deaths | 1 (perpetrator) |
| Injured | 2 |
| Perpetrator | Lone wolf |
| Motive | Messiah complex Attracting public and government officials' attention to the perpetrator's claim of prophethood |
On 2 May 2023, at around 11:00 Western Indonesia Time (UTC+7), a shooting occurred at the Indonesian Ulema Council (Indonesian: Majelis Ulama Indonesia, MUI) headquarters in Central Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia. A male assailant attacked Indonesian Ulema Council headquarters with a modified airsoft gun,[1][2][3] but it was later revealed that the weapon used by the attacker was an airgun.[4] The assailant reportedly died, while two Indonesian Ulema Council employees were injured.[5]
The attack involved a lone male attacker that attempted to meet Kyai Haji Miftachul Achyar, one of the leaders of MUI. He approached the reception area and asked to meet Achyar. Suddenly, the attacker drew an airgun and fired several shots. The shots hit glass doors.[6] It was later revealed that three shots were randomly fired by the attacker.[7] During the panic, one employee was hit by a ricocheted bullet, and another one was injured due to hitting broken glass during their escape.[3] At the time of the attack, MUI leadership was holding a special meeting.[8]
After firing, the attacker attempted to flee the scene, but was pursued by MUI guards and employees. Suddenly, the attacker fainted and collapsed, and was subsequently neutralized by the guards. The attacker was then brought to Menteng police station, and later transferred to Menteng Health Center. Police announced that the attacker died there.[6] Police emphasized that the attacker died at the Health Center, and that they did not cause the attacker's death.[9][10]
Perpetrator
The perpetrator was later identified as a man named Mustofa or Mustopa NR, a 60-year-old resident of Sukajaya Village, Pesawaran Regency, Lampung. He had claimed prophethood.[11][12] Police later released a statement that the perpetrator had been convicted in 2016 for vandalism by the Lampung Regional Representative Council office and had already served his sentence.[13][14][15] Police revealed that during this period, he often claimed that he was a "representative of Muhammad".[16] The attacker's family had acknowledged the identity of the attacker.[17] The Sukajaya village head, Tarmizi, acknowledged that the attacker was one of his villagers, and said that the attacker was a cocoa farmer along with his wife.[11] He also said that the attacker had not joined any religious group to his knowledge.[11] However, the neighboring locals reported that the attacker often claimed to his neighbors that he was a prophet. The locals, however, paid little attention and had gotten used to his claims. Despite his beliefs and claims, locals were not irritated or annoyed by him due to his kindness and generous gift-giving.[18]
Anwar Abbas, Vice General Secretary of MUI, revealed that the attacker had previously attempted to meet Achyar and tried to discuss his teaching with him.[19][20] He revealed that the attacker also sent several inflammatory and threatening letters to MUI.[21] Cholil Nafis, one of the leaders of MUI, also revealed that in the last two letters, the attacker had expressed his frustration caused by the lack of attention t of his teaching and later threatened to attack MUI with guns and knives.[22] MUI later revealed that the attacker had sent letters to MUI six times.[23] However, all six letters were ignored as the contents were considered jumbled, incoherent, unspecified, and without focus.[24] During the attack, another MUI official Ikhsan Abdullah stated that the attacker claimed to be God himself.[25]
