Coffee chain in Indonesia targeted by Daesh
The capital of Indonesia was rocked on Wednesday 14th January by up to seven huge explosions and gun battles on the streets.
The blasts were centred in Jakarta, around Thamrin Street, a major business and shopping district that is close to foreign embassies and the United Nations offices.
Police say the situation was soon under control, with five suspected attackers among at least seven people killed in the attacks.
A news agency linked to Daesh said it carried out the atrocity.
Separately, Indonesian police said they suspected a local group allied to Daesh was to blame.
Risky Julianti, 25, a sales promoter at the Sarinah Mall, had just arrived at work and was changing into her uniform when the first explosion went off. She told the Guardian that she heard at least five more blasts and saw three people dead.
“The building was shaking heavily when the blast happened. An office boy shouted ‘bomb, bomb’ and we quickly ran out to a church nearby. I was very panicked and I was crying. We heard the blasts as we were running to the church.
“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,” he said.
Gunfire could reportedly be heard after police arrived at the cafe. Later, there were several further explosions and reports of police chasing suspects. For several hours afterwards, intermittent gunfire was reported.
A UN official, Jeremy Douglas, told the BBC he was about 150m away from one of the first blasts near the UN’s building.
He said: “Then we ran into the building. We heard a third explosion. We got up to our office on the tenth floor and we heard a fourth, a fifth and a sixth.”
Indonesian President Joko Widodo described the attacks as an ‘act of terror’.
He said: “This act is clearly aimed at disturbing public order and spreading terror among people. The state, the nation and the people should not be afraid of, and lose to, such terror acts.”
