Jakarta, Jan 14: Gunfire and explosions in the Indonesian capital Jakarta killed at least six people Thursday, with police flooding the streets amid fears gun-toting militants were still on the run.
Witnesses said at least one gunman had attacked a cafe in the city centre — near a cluster of embassies — shooting at bystanders, as a series of explosions rocked the area. Badly mangled bodies were seen lying on the streets as security forces moved in, with regular reports of gunfire and warnings of snipers in the area.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Thursday said multiple blasts that hit Jakarta, killing at least four people, were “acts of terror”.
“Our nation and our people should not be afraid, we will not be defeated by these acts of terror, I hope the public stay calm,” he said on TV station MetroTV. “We all are grieving for the fallen victims of this incident, but we also condemn the act that has disturbed the security and peace and spread terror among our people.”
“Four people died, one police officer and three civilians,” national police spokesperson Anton Charliyan said adding for now the gunfire has stopped but they are still on the run, we are afraid there will be more gunshots.”
Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, suffered several major bomb attacks by Islamic radicals between 2000 and 2009, including the 2002 bombings on the resort island of Bali that killed 202 people.
A security crackdown weakened the most dangerous extremist networks, leading to a long lull in large-scale strikes. However, the emergence of Islamic State has raised concern that Indonesians returning from Middle East battlefields could stage attacks on home soil.
