Seven are dead after a terrorist attack rocked central Jakarta earlier today.
The first explosion went off this morning around 10:50am at a Starbucks car park outside downtown Jakarta's Sarinah Mall, reports The Guardian.
The initial blast was then followed by six more explosions over the next 10 minutes. There are varying reports regarding the cause of these blasts, with Guardian sources suggesting suicide bombers were involved, while the New York Times had General Anton Charliyan, a spokesman for the Indonesian National Police, reporting that this was not the case.
Both outlets, however, confirm the use of guns, as the perpetrators exchanged fire with Indonesian police in a cinema located in the same building as the Starbucks. According to the Guardian, Indonesian media counted 14 perpetrators involved in the attack.
Authorities remained in a sporadic gunfight with the perpetrators until roughly 12:30pm before the situation calmed, however unconfirmed reports of gunfire are continuing to come in. Several of the motorbike gunmen involved in the initial firefight remain at large. Armored personnel carriers have been deployed by the military in response to the incident.
Though there is no word yet on the identity of the perpetrators, four gunmen were killed in the exchange with Indonesian police, as well as three victims, one of whom is believed to be a police officer.
Away on a working trip to the West Javan city of Cirebon, Indonesian president Joko Widodo quickly condemned the attacks, cutting his trip short to return to the capital.
“We express condolence to those who became victims, but we all also condemn the attack that caused restless among the community,” Widodo said in a televised statement, according to Al Jazeera.
“This act is clearly aimed at disturbing public order and spreading terror among people,” the president continued.
In the meantime, Starbucks has closed its shops across Jakarta and several foreign embassies are encouraging their citizens to shelter in place. This is the first major security incident Indonesia has seen since a pair of 2009 hotel bombings in the capital.
[Photo via The Guardian, video via YouTube user VIRALSME]
