Discovery of almost 1,000 weapons in Indonesian school fuels safety fears

Suspected narcotics and pornographic CDs were also found in a room used by a former chair of a school foundation

An Indonesian minister has called for better protection of students after nearly 1,000 weapons were found at a private school in South Jakarta.

Police seized 995 airsoft guns and one live firearm from a school run by the Harapan Ibu Islamic School Foundation on Friday, Antara news agency reported.

The foundation’s former chair, identified only by the initials IWD, has been called in for questioning. IWD had been dismissed amid allegations of misuse of foundation funds, according to the Jakarta Globe.

All the weapons – along with suspected narcotics and 25 pornographic CDs – were found in a room used by IWD when the school’s new management was doing a clear-out.

“When we opened the room, we found the weapons,” said Untung Sangaji, a board member, adding that they were classified as such because “airsoft guns can kill because the bullets are plain and there is no groove”.

“We have no idea why they were being kept on school grounds,” he said.