Suicide bombers kill at least 6 in Jakarta, new blasts heard

Suicide bombers kill at least 6 in Jakarta, new blasts heard 

Bangkok Post | 14 Jan 2016 

 

Indonesian police take position and aim their weapons as they pursue suspects outside a cafe after a series of blasts hit the Indonesia capital Jakarta on Jan 14. (AFP photo)

JAKARTA -- Suicide bombers killed at least six people in the Indonesian capital on Thursday as shootings and new explosions continued to be reported across the city.

Three explosions were close to a shopping centre, the Sarinah, where bodies were seen strewn on the ground.

"Four people died, one police officer and three civilians," national police spokesman Anton Charliyan told AFP.

At noon, Indonesian network TVOne says at three more blasts occurred in Cikni, Silpi and Kuningan neighbourhoods, near the Turkish and Pakistani embassies.

It did not say if there were any casualties in the blasts that occurred after three suicide bombs took place in downtown Jakarta earlier.

Witnesses told The Associated Press that three suicide bomb explosions took place at a Starbucks cafe in the mall area.

A bank security guard says he saw at least five attackers, including three suicide bombers who exploded themselves in Starbucks.

Police hide behind vehicles during an exchange of gunfire with suspects hiding near a Starbucks cafe when another blast happens in Jakarta on Jan 14. A series of bombs killed at least three people in the Indonesian capital Jakarta Thursday with shots fired outside a cafe as police moved in, an AFP journalist at the scene said. (AFP photo)

Tri Seranto told AP he was out on the street when he saw the three men entering Starbucks and saw them blowing themselves up one by one. He says the other two attackers, carrying handguns, entered a police post from where he heard gunfire. He said he later saw one policeman dead and three seriously injured.

An AFP reporter said the remains of some of the three were smoking after the blast and remained untouched at the scene, next to a destroyed police post.

At least six explosions rang out in the area.

"This is a bomb," Anton Charliyan, national police spokesman told AFP.

He warned people to stay away, saying police fear there could be more bombs.

Helicopters were circling the area, which had been cordoned off.

Officers at the scene told AFP reporters to "get back" because there "is a sniper" on the roof of a building.

Heavily armed police evacuated a badly injured man who was lying on the road bleeding heavily.

Police slowly approached the man and stretchered him into a vehicle, about 25 metres from a severely damaged Starbucks Coffee house, as shots rang out.

"For now the gunfire has stopped but they are still on the run, we are afraid there will be more gunshots," Mr Charliyan said.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the attacks.

The bombs come just weeks after Jakarta was placed on high alert after anti-terror police foiled what they said were plans for a New Year suicide attack in the Indonesian capital.

Late last month, police said they had arrested two men, including a member of China's Uighur minority, who they claimed were involved in the plot.

After a series of attacks on foreigners in the last decade, Indonesian extremists have in recent years directed their violence at domestic "enemies of Islam", mostly police.

There have been no attacks against foreigners since the 2009 twin hotel bombings in Jakarta that killed seven people.