Jakarta Police Seize 996 Weapons from Private School, Question Former Foundation Leader

Police seize 996 guns from South Jakarta school

The Greater Jakarta Metropolitan Police have seized 996 weapons from a private school in Pondok Pinang, South Jakarta, and summoned the former foundation chair for questioning as investigators probe potential violations of Indonesia's stringent firearms regulations.

Police spokesperson Senior Commissioner Budi Hermanto announced Friday that authorities confiscated 995 airsoft guns and one Franchi SPAS-15 12-gauge combat shotgun from the school premises. The haul represents a significant seizure in a country where civilian gun ownership stands at approximately 0.03 firearms per 100 residents, among the world's most restrictive rates.

"We have summoned IW for questioning as part of our investigation into the ownership, permits, storage location, and purpose of keeping the weapons," Hermanto told reporters in Jakarta on Friday, referring to the former chair of the school's foundation by initials.

Discovery During Storage Room Clearance

The cache came to light when the school's new management discovered the weapons while clearing out a storage room. School officials reported finding what they believed to be firearms and promptly contacted South Jakarta Police.

The seizure included four 4.5-mm air rifles, 215 air pistols of 4.5-mm caliber, and 776 air revolvers of 4.5-mm caliber, according to Hermanto. The combat shotgun, a dual-mode weapon previously used by Indonesian special forces units including Kopaska and Kopassus, belonged to a man who died several years ago, investigators confirmed.

Under National Police Regulation 1/2022, airsoft guns are classified as replica weapons for reaction shooting sports and may only be used at designated training and match locations. Indonesian law requires owners to store such weapons at Indonesian Shooting Association warehouses or approved clubs when not in use, making the school storage violation particularly significant.

Legal Implications and Conflicting Accounts

The discovery carries serious legal weight under Emergency Law Number 12 of 1951, which imposes penalties ranging from up to 20 years imprisonment to life sentences for unauthorized firearms possession. Police continue to seize 500-700 illegal weapons annually nationwide, despite gun-related crimes declining 80.7 percent from 561 cases in 2012 to 108 cases in 2021.

South Jakarta Police Commissioner Adjunct Joko Adi Wibowo dismissed suggestions the weapons were connected to school activities. "No. I think this is unrelated to an extracurricular," he stated Friday.

This contradicted claims by IW's attorney, Alhadid Endar Putra, who maintained the weapons were licensed and intended for school use. However, the foundation's attorney, Hermawanto, supported police findings, citing long-serving teachers who confirmed the school "never had a shooting extracurricular."

Government Response

Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung voiced support for the ongoing investigation Friday. "The Jakarta government supports firm law enforcement regarding this matter," he said.

Police also discovered narcotics and pornographic VCDs alongside the weapons during the July search. The entire cache is now stored in a police warehouse as the investigation continues.

Civilian firearm ownership in Indonesia is restricted to specific high-risk professions including CEOs, ministers, government officials, and doctors who can demonstrate security threats, making the presence of nearly 1,000 weapons at a private school particularly unusual.