Canadian believed killed in Jakarta terror attack

Police officers and a Dutch man were reported to be among those hurt in the attack and subsequent gunfight, though it was not clear if they were killed or wounded.

Later in the day, police said the attackers were “linked to ISIS”.

The last deadly terror attack to hit Jakarta was in 2009, when the al Qaeda-affiliated Jemaah Islamiyah set off bombs at the JW Marriott and Ritz Carleton hotels, killing seven people.

But he said counter-terrorism officials have still played a big role in thwarting attacks since then – and they were on guard ahead of Thursday’s bombings.

Police say all five attackers and two civilians were killed.

Global Affairs Canada said Ottawa was working with Indonesian authorities to confirm the identity of the Canadian.

Canada’s foreign affairs minister, Stephane Dion, in a statement offered “thoughts and deepest sympathies” to those affected.

The two victims were reported to be an Indonesian and a Canadian national. “The Government of Canada, in collaboration with Indonesian authorities, is investigating”.

The gun-and-bomb assault struck in the heart of the Jakarta’s downtown area, popular with shoppers and tourists and located near key government installations.

A United Nations official, Jeremy Douglas, told the BBC he was about 150m away from one of the first blasts near the UN’s building. We heard a third explosion. One blast was in a Starbucks cafe and security forces were later seen entering the building.

Local police say the situation is now under control. “We were witnessing the tactical team sweeping … some armoured personnel carrier moved up the street”.

“The Starbucks cafe windows are blown out”.

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) – Thursday’s attack in central Jakarta left residents in Indonesia’s capital in fear for about five hours, until police said the area was secure.

“We think … their plan was to attack people and follow it up with a larger explosion when more people gathered”.

“They imitated the terror actions in Paris…they are likely from the (Islamic State) group”, Genral Anton Charliyan said. The mall’s security checks may have prevented them from getting into the more crowded building.

The ISIS group claimed responsibility, saying that the attack was carried out by “soldiers of the caliphate” who targeted a gathering of citizens from the “crusader coalition”, referring to the US-led alliance combating the jihadists. Before that, bombings at nightclubs on the resort island of Bali in 2002 killed 202 people, mostly foreigners.