A Starbucks coffee shop was targeted by two suicide bombers and four other explosions went off in an affluent area filled with Western brands and offices in centre of the capital.
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Two civilians were also confirmed as having died, taking the total death toll in the attacks to six, Deputy National Police Chief Budi Gunawan said.
“The Starbucks cafe windows are blown out”, a Reuters photographer reported, ” I see three dead people on the road”, the photographer added. A couple of hours later police said they were combing the building and they later declared the area secure. “The Government of Canada, in collaboration with Indonesian authorities, is investigating”.
There were reports that as many as six attackers remained inside.
It is not yet clear what group was behind the assault, which President Joko Widodo called an “act of terror”.
“We should not be afraid and defeated by acts of terror like this”, he said.
“There is a strong suspicion that this is an IS-linked group in Indonesia”, said Anton Charliyan.
Officials confirmed police were instructed to ramp up security in anticipation of a terrorist incident.
Police also beefed up security in train stations, bus terminals, airports and shopping malls and asked for public vigilance.
After the explosions at Starbucks, a gunbattle broke out between the attackers and anti-terror police squads, and gunfire could be heard more than 1 1/2 hours later. People were seen running or hiding behind cars.
“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”.
1221 – Police told domestic TV that there was no explosion in West Jakarta suburb of Palmerah, and no hostages were taken.
“We are pursuing the network of assailants, namely the Islamic State [Daesh] network”, he said was quoted as saying by the VIVA news outlet.
Thursday’s attack unfolded opposite a United Nations building, from where Jeremy Douglas, the regional representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, tweeted updates as police battled the attackers.
In wake of the attacks, the Foreign Office issued a “high terrorism threat” alert for those planning on travelling to the country.
One hostage, believed to be a foreigner, was reported shot dead, although there were conflicting reports about his nationality.
Jakarta police chief Tito Karnavian also said the so-called Islamic State group was “definitely” behind the attack.
Security services have since regained control of the area, with the suspected attackers having been killed.
While no one has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks, they have revived fears that home-grown extremists bloodied on the battlefields of the Middle East with the Islamic State group could have brought their jihad home. Indonesian police also arrested four suspected militants believed to have been involved in the gun and bomb assault in the centre of the capital.
The company says in a statement initial reports suggest the explosion took place close to a store in the Skyline building near one of police posts in downtowm Jakarta.
At least three suicide bombers attacked downtown Jakarta, followed by an attack on a police post by two men.
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1322 – Starbucks said one customer was injured in attacks, and all employees were safe.
