Dutch man seriously wounded in Jakarta attack

Indonesia has been attacked by Islamist militant groups in the past and after receiving threats from the so-called Islamic State(IS) it was on high alert over the new year period.

A lot of these fighters are getting combat experience in Iraq and Syria, many of whom have experience handling and detonating explosives, he said.

Police snipers were deployed among hundreds of other security officers, some in armoured vehicles.

During a shootout, militants took cover in the Djakarta Theatre cinema, in the same building as Starbucks.

An office worker in a building above the Starbucks cafe, who declined to be identified, said he and fellow workers had been ordered to stay put after the first blast. “It was loud and powerful”, he said.

A Canadian man was killed in Indonesia’s capital Thursday when gunmen launched a series of co-ordinated attacks police said were probably linked to the Islamic State group.

Aamaaq, a news agency allied to the terror group, claimed IS carried out the attacks “targeting foreign nationals and the security forces charged with protecting them in the Indonesian capital”.

“This is definitely terrorism but there are no indications yet that it’s ISIS related”, said Sutiyoso.

After the explosions at Starbucks, a gunbattle broke out between the attackers and anti-terror police squads, and gunfire could be heard more than 1½ hours later.

But Charilyan, the police spokesman, denied the attackers blew themselves up. “They are likely from the (Islamic State) group”.

A series of blasts have rocked Jakarta, with reports of gun battles on the streets. Reuters also reported that a police officer was killed in the attacks.

As well as the known deaths, a number of people were feared injured in Thursday’s assault, with an eyewitness telling AFP he had seen a “terrorist” open fire on a local journalist.

Clarke Jones, a counterterrorism expert at Australian National University, said Thursday’s Jakarta attack was of a “fairly amateurish type, with hand grenades and firearms”. An Algerian man was among the 10 injured, he said. After the blasts, there were gunshots and massive police presence outside the popular Sarinah shopping mall. Gunfire was heard after that, but the only people firing were evidently police.

Eliaz Warre, who witnessed the attack, said he was riding on a motorbike when the explosion went off at the police post. Police have issued a manhunt to find more suspects.

Witnesses said the explosion was caused by a suicide bomber, but there was no immediate confirmation of the claim. Later, Jakarta police spokesman Col. Muhammad Iqbal said four of the attackers were killed, and their bodies retrieved. “There has been a lull in the shooting but someone is on the roof of the building and police are aiming their guns at him”, said a Reuters photographer.

1435 – Police said they suspected at least three suicide bombers.