At least one policeman was killed in addition to the bombers.
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Associated Press photographers Dita Alangkara, Tatan Syuflana and Achmad Ibrahim fanned out Friday morning to document this attempt at recovering normal routine after a violent and frightening day. Their identities were unclear.
But the violence also unleashed a sustained government effort – aided by the USA and Australia – to break up militant cells, which produced hundreds of arrests and the killings of key figures with the knowhow to mastermind devastating attacks.
In that exchange, he said there were more than enough ISIS supporters to “carry out an action” in Indonesia.
Perth man Barry Kissane was having a meeting in the high rise building above Starbucks, when he heard the Jakarta attacks start outside.
The civilians killed on Thursday were an Indonesian and a Canadian.
Badly mangled bodies were seen lying on the road as security forces moved in behind the cover of moving vehicles, with regular bursts of gunfire and warnings of a sniper in the area.
He said the attackers were part of a global network. The vast majority of them were foreigners.
The terror in Jakarta hit a bustling shopping district and began with a suicide bombing outside a Starbucks cafe.
The small number of people laying tributes outside the coffee shop and police outpost told CNN they had rarely seen the bustling, 24-hour street so quiet. The other set of explosions were in neighborhoods where the embassies of Turkey and Pakistan are located.
The Jakarta police said the IS changed strategy by establishing branches across nations, including in the Southeast Asia region. “Didn’t experience this in 3.5 years in #Pakistan”, he wrote. I ran out and when I reached the vehicle over there, I heard a second explosion. “I move around, depending on where our emir orders us to go”. And three minutes later: “Apparent #suicidebomber literally 100m from the office and my hotel”.
General Lloyd Austin, who now heads the military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) overseeing Middle East operations, made the argument that recent IS-claimed attacks like the ones this week in Istanbul and Jakarta are in fact evidence the group is faltering. Police cited a document seized from the group that described the planned attacks as a “concert”.
Experts agree that there is a growing threat from radicalised Muslims inspired by Islamic State, some of whom may have fought with the group in Syria.
Hoang Anh Tuan told Tuoi Tre newspaper that while reports as of Thursday afternoon showed all Vietnamese to be safe, “We are still working with police and local authorities for updates”.
Insp Gen Karnavian said Indonesia had significantly developed its understanding of domestic militant networks since the 2002 bomb attack in Bali, which killed 202 people. “The president has said the nation and the people should not be scared and should not be defeated by acts of terror”, said palace spokesman Ari Dwipayana.
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He said: “This is an indication that he has been learning from the Paris attacks and he has studied the strategy”. This led to a 15-minute gunfight, he said.
