Indonesian President Joko Widodo urged people not to be cowed by the gun and bomb attacks that rocked the capital Jakarta on Thursday.
ADVERTISEMENTIndonesian President Joko Widodo urged people not to be cowed by the deadly gun and bomb attacks that rocked the capital Jakarta on Thursday (Jan. 14)
While five of the seven people who died in the attacks were the assailants themselves, an Indonesian and a Canadian were also killed, and some 20 people were wounded, including an Algerian, Austrian, German and Dutchman. Some of the victims were being treated in the Indonesia Army Central hospital.
President Widodo was outside Jakarta when the attack unfolded but he cut short his trip to return to the capital by helicopter, and visited the scene of the attacks.
“We must not be frightened by what has happened, this act of terror. We should stay calm, because everything will be under control,” he said.
#Indonesian president Joko Widodo visits the site of a deadly bomb blast in #Jakartahttps://t.co/7s0WBhpUzGpic.twitter.com/Z6bOroJ4MF
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) January 14, 2016
Paris-style attacks
Indonesian police say the assailants probably wanted to copy the November Paris attacks by striking several locations at the same time.
The terror in Jakarta hit a bustling shopping district and began with a suicide bombing outside a Starbucks cafe.
Witness Habi Ismail said he heard at least three blasts: “I went into the shop, ordered my drinks and sat there, you can still see my cup. About 10 minutes later, at about 10:20 a.m. I heard the explosion. I ran out and when I reached the car over there, I heard a second explosion. And I ran further and I heard the third explosion.”
Footage shows two suicide bombers blowing themselves up near a Starbucks in #Jakarta: https://t.co/PPDgmG1YqUhttps://t.co/AlVG0syKZ1
— Sky News (@SkyNews) January 14, 2016
A U.N. building nearby went in lock-down, and tanks, snipers and hundreds of police officers were deployed to secure the area.
In the evening, traffic had started returning almost to normal in the 10-million strong capital, but some Jakarta residents were not at ease.
“I am scared this might happen again,” said one Bobby, who goes with one name like many Indonesians.