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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Michael Safi and Matthew Weaver

Jakarta attacks: Islamic State militants claim responsibility – as it happened

Jakarta bombings: I felt the blasts shake the building, says witness – audio

What we know so far

Here’s a roundup of what we know so far:

That’s it for now. There will be more updates and analysis on the Indonesia section of the Guardian’s site.

Updated

Isis claims responsibility

Islamic State has now officially claimed responsibility for the attack on Jakarta, Reuters reports.

“A group of soldiers of the caliphate in Indonesia targeted a gathering from the crusader alliance that fights the Islamic State in Jakarta through planting several explosive devices that went off as four of the soldiers attacked with light weapons and explosive belts,” the group said in a statement.

Islamic State’s statement said there were 15 people killed but the official tally according to the Indonesian government is seven. A news agency affiliated to Islamic State had earlier reported the group’s responsibility for the attack.

Updated

The mayhem in Jakarta, following hard on the heels of this week’s shootings and bombings in Turkey, Iraq and Cameroon, is further confirmation that Islamic State is now pursuing an expanded, go-anywhere international campaign of almost daily terror attacks, writes Simon Tisdall.

Sidney Jones, an International Crisis Group analyst, noted the Paris attacks drew praise from some of the estimated 500-700 Indonesians fighting for Isis in Syria. Bahrun Naim, an ex-prisoner and jihadi intellectual, posted a blog entitled Lessons from the Paris Attacks (Pelajaran dari Serangan Paris). He urged would-be jihadists in Indonesia to study the planning, targeting, timing, coordination, security and courage of the Paris teams, she said.

Until recently, at least, there was no known Isis structure in Indonesia. But Jones predicted in November that rivalry between two Syria-based Indonesian Isis commanders, Bahrum Syah and Abu Jandal, could bring a Paris-style attack to Jakarta. As in Europe, jihadis returning from the Middle East may also be implicated in today’s events.

Without Isis’s physical elimination, there seems scant prospect of an end to its terror campaign. As Atlantic commentator Graeme Wood has noted, Isis does not want or seek peace with its enemies. There will be no truce or ceasefire. Isis sees itself as a harbinger of the end of times. Before the apocalypse arrives, it has pledged to destroy all 200 million Shia Muslims, whom it regards as heretics, all other Muslims who by accepting secular governance confirm their apostasy, and the “army of Rome” (the west).

Isis in Syria and Iraq continues to rely on foreign recruits to boost its numbers. But the perpetuation of its global terror campaign depends on attracting affiliates and sympathisers across the Muslim world and beyond, partly by example and partly through social media and the internet.

As Isis’s international notoriety grows, so too may its unifying appeal to the fanatics and fundamentalists, the disaffected and the dispossessed, and the merely criminal of the Sunni Muslim world. Its overriding ambition is plain: to be the first terrorist organisation with truly global reach.

Updated

That fresh explosion was just a burst tyre after all, according to Channel News Asia.

Kompas TV, which sparked the alarm about a new explosion, appears to be rowing back on the claim. It points out that no witnesses saw an explosion.

If nothing else, the report is a sign of tension in the city.

Updated

Reports of new explosion

There are unconfirmed reports of another explosion in Jakarta.

One local journalist said the report was a false alarm, blaming the sound of the explosion on a burst tyre.

Updated

Jihadi manuals and intelligence tipoffs pointed to a rising terror threat, write Oliver Holmes and Ben Doherty.

Many were waiting for an attack.

Late last year, Indonesian counter-terrorism police – acting off FBI and Australian Federal Police intelligence – said they had foiled several bomb plots planned for Christmas and New Year celebrations.

“Jihad manuals” and bomb-making materials were seized, and six who were suspected members of Islamic State were arrested in West Java and Central Java.

Police also said they had separately arrested four other men believed to be members of the al-Qaida-affiliated Jemaah Islamiyah, the group blamed for the nightclub bombing on the holiday island of Bali that killed 202 people in 2000.

Arrest documents showed they had been planning a suicide bombing in Jakarta, the country’s capital, on New Year’s Eve.

“It could be a single [attack], it could be massive, it could be a series. Certainly it depends on their preparation and readiness,” Indonesia’s national police chief, General Badrodin Haiti, warned at the time.

To prevent other attacks, more than 150,000 security personnel were deployed to public places around the country during the end-of-year celebrations. But they were two weeks too early.

Updated

Jakarta’s chief of police, Tito Karnavian, has given a detailed account of how the attack unfolded. He said the first explosions occurred at around 10.50am local time. Gunfire then followed.

Karnavian claimed police gained control after 30 minutes. He confirmed that a suicide bomber blew himself up in an attack near the Starbucks cafe. Panic followed, he said. Two more attackers began shooting tourists in the area. One Canadian was shot dead, another tourist was wounded.

Meanwhile, a second group of attackers targeted a police station at the Sarinah crossroads, in another suicide bombing, Karnavian said. The bomber and one passerby were killed in the blast.

Terrorists continued to attack downtown Jakarta with grenades and firearms, the police chief said. In the subsequent gun battle, four members of the police were shot. They had gunshot wounds to the legs and abdomen.

Two of the attackers were killed in the 15-minute gun battle. At that point the military were bought in, Karnavian said. The Skyline Building above the Starbucks cafe was searched floor by floor. No attackers were found.

Police found five improvised hand grenades, and one other bomb slightly larger than a biscuit tin.

Karnavian confirmed that five attackers were killed. Two other people, the Canadian and an Indonesian, were also killed.

Five police officers suffered gunshot or shrapnel wounds. Karnavian said all the attackers were Indonesian men from West Java, Central Java, Sulawesi, and the greater Jakarta area.

He said the targets of the attackers were the police, and symbols of the west.

This is part of the war by Isis against the west, he said. “We had intelligence that there would be an attack by the Isis group. But we didn’t know where and when,” Karnavian added.

A plainclothes police officer aims his gun at attackers during a gun battle following explosions in Jakarta, Indonesia
A plainclothes police officer aims his gun at attackers during a gun battle following explosions in Jakarta. Photograph: AP

Updated

The US embassy in Jakarta warns that more attacks are possible.

In an update on its travel advice to Indonesia, it said:

On the morning of 14 January, there were a number of explosions and gunfire at the intersection near the Sarinah Plaza on Jalan Thamrin, central Jakarta. A number of deaths and injuries have been reported ... Indonesian authorities are pursuing the remaining suspects. Further incidents are possible.

As the security situation remains fluid, US citizens are advised to avoid Sari Pan Pacific Hotel and Sarinah Plaza on Jalan Thamrin and defer all non-essential travel in the city. Areas to be particularly avoided are malls, restaurants, cinemas and large gatherings as these could be potential targets. No US citizens are among the victims. The Indonesian government has described the incident as a terrorist attack.

The US embassy strongly urges US citizens to maintain a high level of vigilance, be aware of local events and take the appropriate steps to bolster their personal security. US citizens are encouraged to monitor local and international media and factor updated information into personal travel plans and activities.

Updated

Philip Hammond
Philip Hammond. Photograph: Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty

The UK’s Foreign Office has warned British nationals in Indonesia to “maintain vigilance” after the attacks.

Philip Hammond, the foreign secretary, condemned what he described as “senseless acts of terror”.

In a statement he said:

My thoughts are with the victims and their families. The UK utterly condemns these senseless acts of violence. We will continue to provide support and assistance to the government of Indonesia as they work to defeat those who plan and perpetrate these acts of terror.

We advise British nationals in Jakarta and elsewhere in Indonesia to maintain vigilance and monitor FCO travel advice, local media and to follow the advice of local security authorities.

Speaking on a visit to Cyprus, Hammond added that Britain stands with any country under attack by terrorists.

Updated

An Indonesian and a Canadian were killed in the attack and 20 people, including a Dutchman who works for the United Nations environment programme, were wounded, according to the latest roundup by Reuters.

Two of the militants were taken alive, police said, and five were killed.

It repeats a claim of responsibility on the Isis-linked Aamaaq news agency:

“Islamic State fighters carried out an armed attack this morning targeting foreign nationals and the security forces charged with protecting them in the Indonesian capital,” the agency said.

Jakarta’s police chief told reporters: “Isis is behind this attack definitely,” and named an Indonesian militant, Bahrun Naim, as the man responsible for plotting it.

Police believe Naim is in the Syrian city of Raqqa.

Updated

Charlie Winter, an expert on Islamic extremists, says we should treat seriously the Isis claim of responsibility on the Aamaaq site.

Winter, who was previously at the Quilliam Foundation and is now a senior research associate at Georgia State University, tweeted about the site’s Isis links.

Updated

There has been condemnation of the attacks from leaders across the world, including the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, and Australia’s Malcolm Turnbull.

Updated

Possible Isis claim of responsibility

The Aamaq news agency, which is affiliated with Islamic State, quoted an unnamed source as saying the group carried out the attack, AP reports.

The news agency has released communications from Isis in the past. However, according to Site, which tracks militant websites, the Islamist group has not yet issued a communique claiming responsibility for the attack.

The report in Arabic said a source told Aamaq that “fighters from the Islamic State carried out this morning an armed attack that targeted foreigners and the security forces tasked with protecting them in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta”.

Updated

What we know so far

Here’s a roundup of what is known so far:

Updated

The Indonesian news site Tempo has published a series of photographs that appear to show police being shot at.

The incident took place near the scene of the bomb attack on the Starbucks, according to Jakarta-based Eliza Harvey.

Updated

Police spokesman Gen Anton Charliyan says the Jakarta gun and bomb attackers appeared to be copying November’s attack on Paris.

AP quotes him as saying: “They imitated the terror actions in Paris ... they are likely from the [Islamic State] group.”

He said police had received information in late November about a warning from the Islamic State group that “there will be a concert” in Indonesia.

Updated

A group linked to Islamic State militants is suspected of carrying out the attack, according to AFP, citing police.

The agency says there is concern about jihadis returning from fighting in Iraq and Syria.

Indonesia suffered several major bomb attacks by Islamic radicals between 2000 and 2009, including the 2002 strike on the resort island of Bali that killed 202 people.

A security crackdown weakened the most dangerous networks, leading to a long lull in large-scale strikes.

But the European-based Soufan Group says that of the 500-700 Indonesians who travelled abroad to join the self-proclaimed caliphate of the Islamic State, scores have since returned.

“We know that Isis has the desire to declare a province in this region,” said Kumar Ramakrishna, a counter-terrorism analyst at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.

“The threat of returning south-east Asian fighters radicalised in the Iraq-Syria region are also another factor of concern, together with the possibility of self-radicalised lone wolves.”

Updated

Images have emerged of the damage done to the Starbucks cafe at the foot of the Skyline building, showing smashed windows.

Starbucks said one customer was injured.

Police secure the area outside a Starbucks coffee shop after a series of explosions in central Jakarta
Police secure the area outside a Starbucks coffee shop after a series of explosions in central Jakarta. Photograph: Romeo Gacad/AFP/Getty Images

Updated

France’s embassy in Jakarta says no French citizens were among the victims. It urged French people travelling to Indonesia to phone home to reassure worried friends and relatives.

Updated

The Indonesian president, Joko Widodo, has urged people to remain calm.

“Our nation and our people should not be afraid, we will not be defeated by these acts of terror,” he said, in comments broadcast by 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.”

Indonesian president Joko Widodo condemns the attacks in Jakarta

Updated

The UK’s ambassador in Jakarta, Moazzam Malik, has expressed his shock at the bomb and gun attacks. He said embassy staff are monitoring the situation.

Updated

The Guardian’s reporter in Jakarta, Beh Lih Yi, has been speaking to a woman who witnessed the first blast. Risky Julianti described how it shook buildings.

Updated

Dutch citizen caught up in attack

A Dutch foreign ministry spokeswoman said that a Dutch citizen was undergoing surgery. His current condition is not known.

The country’s foreign minister, Bert Koenders, said the attack shows that “terrorism can hit everybody. Whether you are shopping in the heart of Paris, in a New York office or on vacation in Jakarta.”

Indonesia’s security minister said a Dutch citizen was among the dead. This has not been confirmed by the Dutch authorities.

Updated

Police: 'Attack over'

Indonesian police say the attack has ended with five assailants confirmed dead, AP reports.

Jakarta police spokesman Col Muhammad Iqbal said two other people have also been killed around the Sarinah shopping mall on Thamrin Street.

“We believe there are no more attackers around Sarinah. We have taken control,” he said.

He said two of the attackers have been killed by police but did not say how the others died.

It is not clear if any more attackers are at large in the Sarinah area.

Police had earlier said four attackers and three others were killed but later revised the numbers.

Attackers struck outside a Starbucks cafe and a police post near the well-known Sarinah shopping complex
Attackers struck outside a Starbucks cafe and at a police post near the well-known Sarinah shopping complex. Photograph: Bagus Indahono/EPA

Updated

A lockdown at the UN building is about to be lifted, according to UN regional representative Jeremy Douglas.

Earlier, Douglas told CNN that he heard six explosions and then shooting around the building. Douglas said the shots came about five minutes after the explosions. Police then swiftly moved in.

He recalled hearing the first blast as he drove up to the UN building:

“As we got out of a car suddenly a bomb went off, a fairly sizeable one, pretty close by, just around the corner. At that point we realised we were in a bit of problem here. So we rushed into the building. About a couple of minutes later, as we were trying to get an elevator to go up to our office on the 10th floor, a third bomb went off. And then we realised this is really bad. We got up to our office and then we heard a fourth, and fifth and a sixth bomb and then we heard the exchange of small arms fire.”

At the time of the interview, about half an hour ago, he said the area appeared to be secured.

Updated

Video from the foot of the Skyline Building appears to show that calm has been restored to the area.

Police and soldiers have been seen outside a cinema at the base of the Cakrawalla or Skyline Building in central Jakarta where some of the attackers were reportedly holed up.

The Skyline Building area, incorporating the Starbucks cafe, has been cleared, according to ABC’s Adam Harvey.

The sites of at least two of the explosions in central Jakarta on Thursday.
The sites of at least two of the explosions in central Jakarta on Thursday

Updated

The UK’s foreign office has updated its travel advice to Indonesia to warn Britons to follow the instructions of local authorities and avoid the scene of the attacks.

The updated advice says:

During the morning of 14 January there were explosions and gunfire reported in the vicinity of the Sari Pan Pacific Hotel and Sarinah Plaza on Jalan Sudirman Thamrin, Jakarta in central Jakarta. You should avoid the affected area, limit your movements and follow the advice of local authorities.

Germany’s foreign ministry also updated its travel advice. It said it believed no Germans were hurt and warned citizens to avoid downtown Jakarta.

Updated

Reports of more shooting

There are unconfirmed reports of more shooting in Jakarta. Journalists based in the city tweeted that fresh shots prompted panic.

Here’s our latest take on the events of the last few hours in Jakarta, by my colleagues Oliver Holmes and Beh Li Yih:

Up to seven blasts and multiple gunfights hit the Indonesian capital Jakarta on Thursday, including one outside the United Nations building in the centre of the capital, leaving at least seven people dead.

Images from the one of the city’s busiest precincts showed a small police booth in the middle of one of Jakarta’s main roads, twisted by an explosion with three bodies lying in the street. Another shot showed smoke rising in front of a Starbucks cafe.

Jakarta police spokesman Col. Muhammad Iqbal said seven people including four attackers were killed, adding that the gun battle took place in a cinema housed in the same building as the Starbucks. “We will declare the situation secure soon,” he said.

The local Metro TV said 14 gunmen were involved in the attack, which started around 10:30am.

There were reports that as many as six attackers remained inside. With an active fight ensuing, it was unclear if subsequent blasts came from the attackers or police.

Read the full story here

Indonesian police are continuing to hunt for the attackers behind Thursday’s string of blasts, and we’re just receiving reports of more shooting in Jakarta. Matthew Weaver in London will steer the blog for the next few hours, so stay with our rolling coverage for updates as they happen.

Updated

The Australian foreign minister, Julie Bishop, has issued this statement.

The Australian government condemns the attacks in Jakarta today.

Our embassy is making urgent enquiries with local authorities to determine whether any Australians have been affected. This incident is still unfolding and it is too early to determine the scale of damage or extent of casualties.

I have spoken to Indonesian foreign minister Marsudi and offered any support that Indonesia may need to respond to these attacks.

The travel advice for Indonesia has been updated and is available on Smartraveller. Australians should avoid the area of the Sarinah Mall on JL Thamrin in Central Jakarta, and follow the instructions of local authorities. The overall level of advice has not changed and we continue to advise Australians to exercise a high degree of caution in Indonesia.

If you have any concerns for the welfare of family and friends in the region, you should attempt to directly contact them. If you are unable to contact them and still hold concerns for their welfare, you should call the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on 1 300 555 135, or +61 2 6261 3305 (if calling from overseas).

Updated

Starbucks has issued this statement announcing all their stores across Jakarta will be closed “out of an abundance of caution”.

We are deeply saddened by the senseless acts that have taken place in Jakarta today; our hearts are with the people of Indonesia.

Amidst reports of attacks targeting police posts throughout central Jakarta, initial reports are that an explosion took place close to our store in the Skyline building near one of these police posts. One customer sustained injuries and was treated on the scene; our partners (employees) are all confirmed to be safe. This store and all other Starbucks stores in Jakarta will remain closed, out of an abundance of caution, until further notice.

We are monitoring this situation closely, and will provide additional information as it becomes available.

The good news that just one customer was injured in the attacks appears to contradict a witness statement earlier that three suicide bombers have detonated themselves inside the cafe.

More from Iqbal Kabid, a spokesman for Jakarta police:

Indonesian police shot dead four suspected militants who were part of a bomb and gun attack in the capital, Jakarta, on Thursday and the area is being secured, a police spokesman said.

“We are sterilising the building from basement to top,” Iqbal Kabid told reporters, explaining that a gunbattle between the attackers and police took place in a cinema that is in the same building as a Starbucks cafe that was attacked.

“We will declare the situation secure soon,” he said.

It is not clear at this stage if there are any more attackers inside the shopping complex. Earlier reports suggested there could be up to six gunmen in there.

Jakarta police put death toll at seven

Via AP:

Jakarta police spokesman Col. Muhammad Iqbal says seven people including four attackers have been killed in the brazen attacks in the downtown capital.

He says police have recovered the bodies of the attackers, but it is not clear if more remain at large.

At least three explosions rocked downtown Jakarta Thursday midmorning followed by more than two hours of gunbattles.

A witness told The Associated Press that the explosions occurred inside a Starbucks cafe.

Earlier, the national police spokesman Anton Charliyan gave a clashing account, putting the death toll at six, including three policemen and three others.

What we know so far

Events in Jakarta are ongoing and details are still murky, but here’s a overview:

Updated

No indication of Isis involvement - intelligence chief

There were no indications that Islamic State militants were behind a gun and bomb attack in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, on Thursday, the head of the national intelligence agency has told Reuters.

“This is definitely terrorism but there are no indications yet that it’s ISIS related,” said Sutiyoso.

Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has just been on national TV saying the situation is under control, and is calling on people to remain calm.

Jokowi says: “The state, nation and people should not be afraid of, and lose to, such terror acts.”

Updated

More from Beh Lih Yi, who is near the Sarinah Mall, where it is believed up to six alleged attackers are still holed up.

One of the bodies outside the Sarinah Mall has been removed, and police are continuing to examine others at the scene, Beh Lih Yi reports.

New explosion reported near Starbucks cafe

An Associated Press reporter has heard an explosion from a cafe near the Starbucks that was attacked earlier. The explosion occurred after about 25 anti-terror squad police stormed the cafe.

There is no word on what happened to them, but after the explosion several other police and medical personnel in white overalls were seen running to the cafe.

Two ambulances also drove to the area, and were standing by.

Tanks have also just arrived at the scene.

Updated

The US embassy in Jakarta has released this message urging its citizens to avoid specific areas in the centre of the Indonesian capital:

“This emergency message is being issued to advise all U.S. citizens to avoid the area around Sari Pan Pacific Hotel and Sarinah Plaza on Jalan Sudirman Thamrin, in downtown Jakarta. Preliminary reports indicate an explosion and gunfire has occurred in the general vicinity and situation continues to unfold.”

Footage has been posted that allegedly shows at least one of the explosions that shook Jakarta on Thursday – outside a Starbucks cafe in the Sarinah mall. Police say at least six people have been killed

Indonesian president condemns attacks

Via AP:

Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, who is on a working visit in West Java town of Cirebon, has ordered security forces to hunt down the perpetrators and their network behind the attacks in Jakarta.

Jokowi says: “I have received reports some time ago about the explosion in Thamrin street Jakarta. We express condolence to those who became victims, but we all also condemn the attack that caused restless among the community.”

He says he has ordered the national police chief and the minister for political and security affairs to hunt down and capture the perpetrators and those in their network.

Jokowi says he was cutting short his visit and returning to the capital.

Police are still looking for gunmen who are believed to be holed up in the Cakrawala building on Jalan Thamrin street, also the site of the Starbucks cafe and UN headquarters.

The Jakarta Post reports that police were also seen entering the McDonald’s restaurant at the Sarinah building at around 12.15 pm, with gun shots still ringing out in the area.

Read the full story here

People with family inside Indonesia are scrambling to get in touch with their relatives.

At least six killed in attacks

This latest report is from Reuters:

Militants launched a gun and bomb assault killing at least six people in the centre of the Indonesian capital on Thursday, police said, in an attack that followed a threat by Islamic State fighters to put the country in their “spotlight”.

Media said six bombs went off and a Reuters witness saw three dead people and a gunfight going on. One blast was in a Starbucks cafe and security forces were later seen entering the building.

Police said they suspected a suicide bomber was responsible for at least one of the blasts and up to 14 militant gunmen were involved in the attack, Metro TV reported.

“The Starbucks cafe windows are blown out. I see three dead people on the road. 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,” said a Reuters photographer.

Indonesia has been on edge in recent weeks over the threat posed by Islamist militants and counter-terrorism police have launched a crackdown on people with suspected links to Islamic State.

“We have previously received a threat from Islamic State that Indonesia will be the spotlight,” police spokesman Anton Charliyan told reporters. But he said police did not know who was responsible.

He said three policemen and three civilians had been killed.

“I saw a police officer shot right in front of me,” one witness told TV One.

One explosion went off in front of a shopping centre called the Sarinah mall, on a main avenue. Media said a police post outside the mall was blown up.

Police snipers were deployed among hundreds of other security officers.

A U.N. building near the scene was in lock-down with no one allowed in or out, a witness said. Some other high-rise buildings in the area were evacuated.

Indonesia’s central bank is located in the same area, and a spokesman for the bank said a policy meeting was going ahead and a decision on interest rates would be announced as planned later in the day.

An explosion was heard in the western suburb of Palmerah, according to a domestic media tweet, but police said they could not confirm a blast there.

Indonesia has the world’s largest Muslim population, the vast majority of whom practise a moderate form of the religion.

Updated

Indonesia was on high-alert for a terror attack over the Christmas-New Year period.

In December, police identified 13 areas in the archipelago nation as vulnerable to attack over the coming months, including the most populous island Java, where Jakarta is, and the tourist island of Bali.

Police and military personnel and establishments, government agencies, foreign embassies, Westerners, non-Muslims, hotels and shopping malls were all flagged as potential targets.

Indonesia’s National Police chief General Badrodin Haiti warned that authorities had evidence terror attacks were being planned.

“It could be a single (attack), it could be massive, it could be a series, certainly it depends on their preparation and readiness.”

In December, nine suspected terrorists were arrested over plans for attacks in Sumatra, Java, and Kalimantan. Documents seized from the men suggested they were planning to “do a concert”.

“Concert” was interpreted to possibly mean attack, or suicide bomber.
A map of the greater Jakarta area was among the items seized in raids across five Indonesian cities, along with bomb-making materials including detonators and chemicals, as well as jihadist manuals.

On December 24, 2000, a series of co-ordinated attacks on Christian churches, launched by Al Qaeda operatives and members of Jamaat Islamiyah, killed 18 people.

Up to six of the alleged attackers are still believed to be hiding in the Skyline building, at the site of the Starbucks cafe reportedly hit by three suicide bombers.

Three suicide bombers involved in attack on Starbucks cafe

The latest from AP:

At least three suicide bombers exploded themselves in a Starbucks cafe in downtown Jakarta on Thursday while two gunmen attacked a police post nearby, a witness told The Associated Press. TVOne, a local television network, reported three other explosions in other parts of the city.

At least one policeman was killed in addition to the bombers.

The first explosion appeared to have triggered a gun-battle between the attackers and anti-terror police squads, and gunfire could be heard more than 1 ½ hours later.

Tri Seranto, a bank security guard, told The Associated Press he saw at least five attackers, including three suicide bombers who exploded themselves in the Starbucks.

He said he was out on the street when he saw the three men entering Starbucks and saw them blowing themselves up one by one. He said 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 wounded.

He said he was not injured in the explosions as he was a little distance away, but close enough to witness the attack at 10.30 a.m. (0230 GMT).

He said the two gunmen ran away with police chasing them.

Gunshots were heard after the midmorning explosion in front of the Sarinah shopping mall and a police station. The area also has many luxury hotels, and offices and embassies, including the French. The other set of explosions were in neighborhoods where the embassies of Turkey and Pakistan are located.

Indonesia has been a victim of several bombing attacks in the past, claimed by Islamic militant groups.

Last month, anti-terror police arrested nine men and said the group had wanted to “perform a ‘concert’ to attract international news coverage of their existence here.” Police cited a document seized from the group that described the planned attacks as a “concert.”

The country has been on high alert after authorities said they had foiled a plot by Islamic militants to attack government officials, foreigners and others. About 150,000 police officers and soldiers were deployed during New Year’s Eve to guard churches, airports and other public places.

More than 9,000 police were also deployed in Bali, the site of Indonesia’s deadliest terror attack, which killed 202 people in 2002.

UN staff may have been injured in attacks

According to the ABC, an internal note to UN staff in Jakarta says one of their employees may have been injured.

Dear colleagues, more explosions and shootings in the area. Apparently they are using rifles and hand grenades. We are in a perimeter in our UN building covered by armed personnel. We may have a UN staff injured during the initial bombing.

Police confirm at least one bomb in Jakarta

“This is a bomb,” Anton Charliyan, national police spokesman has told AFP.

It is unclear which of the at least six blasts heard on Thursday he is referring to. There have also been reports of grenade attacks.

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

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

The scene in central Jakarta is still active, according to Beh Lih Yi (@behlihyi), who is on the ground for the Guardian. She writes:

I am at the blast scene at Sarinah Mall now. Heavy police presence and last gunshot was heard about five minutes ago. Police sirens everywhere in downtown Jakarta.

Attacks are linked to Islamic State - police

The ABC’s Adam Harvey is now citing Jakarta police saying the attacks are “Isis-related”.

Three more explosions in Jakarta - AP

AP is quoting local media saying at least three more explosions have taken place, in addition to the six, possibly seven reported earlier.

Indonesian network TVOne says at least three more explosions have taken place in Jakarta.

It says the explosions occurred Thursday in Cikni, Silpi and Kuningan neighborhoods, near the Turkish and Pakistani embassies.

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

Here are the sites of at least two of the explosions in central Jakarta on Thursday — outside the UN office and the Sarinah Mall.

The sites of at least two of the explosions in central Jakarta on Thursday.
The sites of at least two of the explosions in central Jakarta on Thursday.

Updated

Fairfax Media’s Indonesia correspondent, Jewel Topsfield, is reporting seven explosions, including two suicide bombers. She adds that three suspected perpetrators are among the four dead. We’ve previously heard that at least one police officer may have been killed.

Four dead, two injured in Jakarta blasts - reports

The ABC’s Adam Harvey is now also reporting that at least four people have been killed, including a police officer. The attackers were throwing grenades, he says.

The at least six blasts that have been reported may have been caused by grenades, rather than bombs, according to Samantha Hawley. Two people have also been injured, she reports police as saying.

Updated

The death toll from this afternoon’s attacks is still unclear. Witnesses in central Jakarta are reporting they can see three dead bodies, however images seen by the Guardian appear to show at least four people killed.

Samatha Hawley, with the ABC, also says that local media are reporting 10 to 14 perpetrators involved in the apparent blasts, but this figure is unconfirmed.

Updated

Footage has been posted that purports to show at least one of the explosions that shook Jakarta today, this one outside a Starbucks cafe in the Sarinah Mall.

AP has filed a longer take on the events of the last hour in Jakarta.

A massive explosion rocked downtown Jakarta in front of a popular shopping mall on Thursday and an Associated Press reporter saw at least one dead body.

Gunshots were heard after the midmorning explosion in front of the Sarinah shopping mall and a police station. The area also has many luxury hotels, and offices and embassies, including the French.

It was not clear who was shooting but police had cordoned off the area, preventing reporters from going near the scene.

Witnesses said the explosion was caused by a suicide bomber, but there was no immediate confirmation of the claim.

Indonesia has been a victim of several bombing attacks in the past, claimed by Islamic militant groups.

The country has been on high alert after authorities said they had foiled a plot by Islamic militants to attack government officials, foreigners and others. About 150,000 police officers and soldiers were deployed during New Year’s Eve to guard churches, airports and other public places.

More than 9,000 police were also deployed in Bali, the site of Indonesia’s deadliest terror attack, which killed 202 people in 2002.

National Police spokesman Maj Gen Anton Charliyan said security is focused on anticipating attacks in vulnerable regions, including Jakarta.

On Tuesday, the jailed radical Islamic cleric Abu Bakar Bashir appealed to an Indonesia court to have his conviction for funding a terror training camp overturned, arguing that his support for the camp was an act of worship.

The 77-year-old leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah militant network filed a judicial review of his 2011 conviction, when he was sentenced to 15 years in jail for setting up the camp in Aceh province. A higher court later cut the sentence to nine years.

Updated

Shootouts are still being reported in Jakarta, including at one of the blast sites below.

Video has been posted online showing the aftermath of the multiple explosions in Jakarta, including what sounds like gunfire.

Updated

The main UN office was not impacted by the blasts today, according to Katie Hodges, a UN staffer.

Jeremy Douglas, another UN employee, has echoed this:

Updated

More images are emerging from Jakarta, where at least six explosions have been reported and gunfire can still be heard.

Updated

The latest from AP on this developing story:

A massive explosion has rocked downtown Jakarta in front of a popular shopping mall, and an Associated Press reporter saw at least one dead body.

Gunshots were heard after the midmorning explosion Thursday in front of the Sarinah shopping mall in an area that also has many luxury hotels, embassies and offices.

It was not clear who was shooting but there was a massive police presence, which prevented reporters from going near the scene.

Photographs are appearing on social media of the apparent bombing outside the Sarinah shopping centre, just down the street from the UN headquarters. One shows at least two dead bodies on the street. Here are others from the scene.

Updated

A UN regional representative, Jeremy Douglas, is in Jakarta and tweeting from the scene of the explosion outside the UN headquarters in the city.

Multiple explosions reported in Jakarta

Multiple explosions have been reported in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, including one outside the United Nations building in the city centre.

Police were not immediately available for comment, but according to the an official Jakarta police Twitter account one explosion went off in front of a shopping centre called the Sarinah mall.

At least four more explosions have been reported by witnesses.

  • Comments were turned on in error on this live blog. Previous comments have been archived.

Updated

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