Jakarta Attacks: Multiple Explosions Claim Several Lives, ISIS-Linked Group Suspected

UPDATE: 5:44 a.m. EST — An Islamic State group-allied news agency said Thursday that the group was responsible for the attack in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, Reuters reported. The confirmation follows a comment from the city’s police chief Tito Karnavian who said that the extremist group, also known as ISIS, was “definitely” behind the attacks.

"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," Aamaaq news agency reportedly said.

A Canadian man was among those killed in the attacks Thursday, Reuters reported, citing the local MetroTV, which quoted a police official.

UPDATE: 4:55 a.m. EST — The death toll in the Jakarta attack Thursday has been revised to seven by Al Jazeera, which cited police officials. The network earlier reported that five gunmen, five police officers and seven civilians were killed. A report by the Associated Press (AP) said, citing police, that five attackers and two other people have been confirmed dead in the attack near the Sarinah shopping mall in the Indonesian capital.

Gen. Anton Charliyan, the spokesman for Indonesia's national police, said, according to AP, that the attackers had planned to conduct an offensive similar to that in Paris in November, which killed 130 people.

Charliyan said: "They imitated the terror actions in Paris ... they are likely from the [Islamic State] group."

Officials said that they had received information late November of an impending attack from the Sunni militant group, also known as ISIS, which referred to it as "a concert."

Following Thursday’s attack, Malaysia’s national police chief Khalid Abu Bakar announced, according to AP, that the country has increased the security alert to the highest level. He added that "extra precautionary actions will be implemented in border areas to prevent possible infiltration by terrorist elements."

UPDATE: 4:28 a.m. EST — A group linked to the Islamic State group is suspected of carrying out Thursday's attacks in Jakarta, Agence Frence-Presse reported, citing local police.

UPDATE: 3:43 a.m. EST — Jakarta police spokesman Col. Muhammad Iqbal said that the attack in the Indonesian capital around the Sarinah shopping mall on Thamrin Street has ended with at least five attackers killed, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

"We believe there are no more attackers around Sarinah. We have taken control," Iqbal said, according to the AP, adding that two of the attackers were killed by police officials.

Meanwhile, Malaysia was put on high alert after the Jakarta attacks amid fears that terrorism may trickle to the Southeast Asian country, Reuters reported. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the Jakarta attack.

UPDATE: 3:12 a.m. EST — At least 17 people were killed in the attack in the Indonesian capital Jakarta Thursday, Al Jazeera reported, citing police officials. Five gunmen, five police officers and seven civilians were among the dead, the report added.

Adam Harvey, a reporter for ABC, also wrote on Twitter that one foreign national was killed while another foreigner was injured in the attack. He added, citing police sources, that the attackers were part of a terror cell from Solo, a city in the Indonesian island of Java. The cell was reportedly disrupted by the country’s police before Christmas.

UPDATE: 2:53 a.m. EST — Four suspected attackers were arrested Thursday after several explosions and gunfire rocked the Indonesian capital Jakarta, Reuters reported, citing police officials. At least seven people were reportedly killed in the attacks.

Adam Harvey, a journalist for ABC News, reported that the attackers were cleared from the building they were holed up in and the operation ended after fresh shots were fired in the area. However, Al Jazeera reported, citing police sources, that two of the attackers were still on the run.

The foreign offices of several countries, including Britain, Germany and Australia, issued warnings to its nationals in Indonesia.

"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," the British foreign office said, according to the Guardian.

Germany’s foreign ministry also handed out a similar travel advice, adding that none of its nationals were believed to have been injured.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said in a 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."

Bishop also said, according to the Guardian: "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."

UPDATE: 1:57 a.m. EST — Starbucks released a statement on the attack close to its café in downtown Jakarta Thursday and said that one of its customers sustained injuries. Here is the full statement from the American coffee company.

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.

UPDATE: 1:22 a.m. EST — In a televised address Thursday, Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said the situation in Jakarta is under control and urged people to remain calm, the Guardian reported. Meanwhile, the country’s intelligence chief, Sutiyoso, told Reuters that there were no immediate indications that the attack was linked to the Islamic State group, as reported earlier.

“This is definitely terrorism but there are no indications yet that it’s ISIS related,” Sutiyoso said, according to Reuters. Local media also reported that a Dutch national was among the dead in the attack, James Campbell, a reporter for the Herald Sun, said in a post on Twitter.

At least seven people, including four suspected attackers, have been killed so far in the gun battle, Jakarta police spokesman Col. Muhammad Iqbal told the Associated Press.

UPDATE: 1 a.m. EST — A fresh explosion was heard at a café near the Starbucks outlet in downtown Jakarta that was attacked earlier Thursday, the Associated Press (AP) reported, citing one of its correspondents. The report added that the blast occurred after 25 members of an anti-terror squad entered the café.

Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, who was visiting the West Java town of Cirebon, condemned the attack and ordered the country’s security forces to hunt down perpetrators. "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," Widodo said, according to AP. Widodo is now cutting short his trip to return to Jakarta.

UPDATE: 12:27 a.m. EST -- At least six people are dead in Thursday's attacks across central Jakarta, Reuters reported, adding that more explosions were reported near the scene of the attacks. Three suicide bombers detonated themselves at a Starbucks café in downtown Jakarta while two people opened an attack at a police post nearby, a report by the Associated Press said.

At least six attackers are reportedly hiding in a building in Jakarta, a local reporter for the Sydney Morning Herald said on Twitter, adding that another explosion was heard in the Sarinah neighborhood.

Local police reportedly suspect the role of the Islamic State group, or ISIS, which warned last year that Indonesia — which is home to one of the world's largest Muslim populations — was in its “spotlight.”

A witness to the attack told Reuters: “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.”

A post by an ABC correspondent on Twitter also said, citing unconfirmed reports, that a U.N. staffer may have been among those killed. Meanwhile, the U.S. embassy in the city warned its nationals to avoid the area following the “explosion and gunfire.”

UPDATE: 12:06 a.m. EST — Indonesian police linked the attacks in Jakarta Thursday to the Islamic State group, according to a reporter for ABC News in the Indonesian capital.

Another report by the Associated Press (AP) said that three more explosions had occurred in the city Thursday, adding to the six that happened earlier. The AP report added that the explosions occurred near the Turkish and Pakistani embassies.

Several reports said at least four people were killed in the attacks. Meanwhile, a post on Twitter by a BBC reporter said, citing police officials, that the explosions were grenades and not bombs.

UPDATE: 11:42 p.m. EST -- Three of the dead in the attacks Thursday in a central part of Jakarta, Indonesia, were suicide bombers, according to a report by state-run Anatara News. About 10-14 gunmen were involved in the attack, Reuters reported, citing local police.

The Antara report also added that six suicide bombs were detonated in several locations, while the main attack took place in Sarinah, which is near a United Nations office and the presidential palace. A gun battle is reportedly ongoing between police and gunmen. The attackers were throwing grenades, an ABC reporter tweeted.

Another report by Antara News also compared the Thursday attack to the one in Paris in November, where 130 people were killed, and said that the attackers opened fire at people there blindly.

Footage of the explosion outside a Starbucks café at the Sarinah mall was also seen on Twitter.

A report by the Guardian said that while most reports showed at least three people had been killed, a photo taken by one of its journalists at the location showed at least four dead.

The number of casualties remains unclear.

Original story:

Explosions were reported across several locations Thursday in Indonesia's capital Jakarta, including one at a Starbucks outlet near a United Nations office. At least three people are dead, according to Agence France-Presse.

Jeremy Douglas, a U.N. regional representative for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, tweeted about the ongoing incident, and reported hearing gunfire. Douglas also said that his office was under lockdown.