The Langkat Police have apprehended a 19-year-old male for allegedly burning a Quran near a mosque in Besitang district, Langkat regency, North Sumatra, on Friday.

North Sumatra Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Tatan Dirsan Atmaja said the man, identified as Zulhamsyah, was caught red-handed burning the Quran. The police were questioning Zulhamsyah to find out his motive.

“We are still looking at what lies behind the perpetrator’s actions. He has been detained at the Langkat Police station,” Tatan said on Friday.

This was the second Quran burning case this week that the Langkat Police has handled, Tatan said. The police were also looking into a potential connection between the recent and previous case in which 20 copies of the Quran were burned by an unidentified man at the Nurul Huda mosque in Stabat district, Langkat, earlier this week.

The North Sumatra Police have been involved in the investigation.

"The police have been very careful in investigating this case because it involves sensitive matters," Tatan said, expressing hope that Muslims would not be incited by the case. (spl/swd)