On Thursday, Indonesia felt a wave of violent attacks that left several people dead. This photo shows police taking cover while pursuing suspects as explosions rocked the capital city of Jakarta. The attacks include a number of suicide bombers, which resulted in at least seven explosions. All told, at least seven people (including three policemen) were killed. Al Jazeera says one of the deceased was a Dutch national employed by the United Nations.
#Jakartablasts:
Death toll goes up to 7
Dutch national working for the UN is among the 7 dead
6 blasts so farhttps://t.co/kaAW7Yt1LB— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) January 14, 2016
Reported gun battles continue near the sites where the explosions occurred, and police believe up to 14 attackers were involved in this multi-site attack. One of the incidents occurred when three suicide bombers entered a Starbucks and detonated their explosives: “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.” Amateur video tells the tale.
Video ledakan di parkiran starbucks Sarinah #BreakingNews #ledakansarinah pic.twitter.com/Q6nbIS2bTl
— Robert Harianto (@RobertHarianto) January 14, 2016
All Starbucks stores in the city will remain closed “until further notice.” Another explosion happened in front of a shopping mall, which sustained damage along with a nearby police station. The plot grows thicker after realizing how many Western brands were (presumably) targeted. In addition to Starbucks, attacks also took place near a McDonalds and a Pizza Hut. Here’s some more more post-explosion Starbucks footage from CNN.
BREAKING: Police confirms at least 4 people dead after explosions in #Jakarta. Developing: https://t.co/YcrDdLdCgz https://t.co/jN0jYglkqu
— CNN (@CNN) January 14, 2016
Indonesia’s intelligence chief was quick to confirm the explosions were “definitely terrorism,” but President Joko Widodo asked the public to stay calm and avoid speculation about responsible parties. At this point, there’s no evidence that the Islamic State was responsible for these coordinated attacks, though Indonesia has plenty of experience with radicalization resulting in “homegrown terrorists.” Other reports indicate a recent threat from ISIS did vow to put Indonesia in the “spotlight.”
Journalists on the scene report running for their lives.
More shooting Jakarta now – big panic. I'm down behind a police car
— Adam Harvey (@adharves) January 14, 2016
Just ran for our lives more shooting in jakarta
— Samantha Hawley (@samanthahawley) January 14, 2016
(Via The Guardian, CNBC, HuffPo and CNN)