Police identify Jakarta attackers

The audacious attacks by suicide bombers and gunmen on Thursday in central Jakarta killed seven people, including two civilians.

Claims that dual suicide bombers were responsible for the grisly carnage at a police post have also come into doubt, with investigators now speculating hand-held explosives could have been used.

Indonesian police yesterday arrested three suspected militants in a pre-dawn raid and hunted down others across the country, a day after an attack by Islamic State (IS) militants in the heart of Jakarta.

For Indonesia, which has more Muslims than any other nation, Thursday’s attack was a grim reminder of the resilience of a radical fringe that has existed since independence.

The police chief said Indonesia had significantly developed its understanding of domestic terror networks since the 2002 bomb attack in Bali, which killed 202 people.

Workers clean up outside the Starbucks cafe where an attack occurred on Thursday, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Jan. 15, 2016.

It ended when two of the attackers were killed in a suicide bombing, said police, with the other three killed in gun battles.

Alarm around the world over the danger stemming from Islamic State increased after the Paris attacks and the killing of 14 people in California in December. Foreign ambassadors also joined the event.

Meanwhile, in Malaysia a suspected militant has been arrested in a metro station in Kuala Lumpur.

The attackers responded by firing back and tossing two grenades at the officers, according to Charliyan.

The twelve arrested in the sweep across Java and Indonesia’s half of Borneo were associates of Naim, the police chief said. “A bomb exploded when they attempted to throw it to the police”.

Naim has fled in Indonesia and is believed to be in the Islamic State’s main base in Syria, the city of Raqqa. He was apprehended in 2010 for illegal possession of ammunition and was brought to justice.

Afif was sentenced to seven years in jail for participating in the camp.

The smoke had barely cleared after the attacks, claimed by the Islamic State group, before Jakarta’s heaving metropolis quickly returned to its bustling self – with ubiquitous food vendors re-emerging at the site just a couple hours later to sell afternoon snacks.

Haiti confirmed to reporters that Afif was the attacker in blue jeans, black t-shirt and a black hat pictured preparing to raise his handgun in a photo that rippled across Indonesia’s hyperactive social media universe.

Naim has formed a Southeast Asian branch of ISIS named Katibah al Nusantara, Indonesia authorities said. Who facilitated the attack?

Many bear the slogan #KamiTidakTakut, which translates to “We are not afraid”. ‘Indonesia is a strong state, it will not be provoked by terrorism’.

Before Christmas, and acting on intelligence from Australia and the US, Indonesian authorities disrupted a network planning ISIS-inspired attacks on police and New Year celebrations.