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At least one person killed in series of explosions in Indonesia’s capital, as gunfire rings out of central area.
At least one policeman has been killed in a series of explosions in central Jakarta, Indonesian media reported, as gunfire rang out of the capital’s downtown area.
Al Jazeera’s Step Vaessen, reporting from Jakarta, said a police post was destroyed in a suicide attack and that a gun battle was ongoing.
“About 10 to 15 gunmen on motorbikes entered the downtown area carrying long rifles, shooting into the crowd, some carrying explosives” Vaessen said.
“It is believed that several gunmen are currenrlty hiding in the Jakarta Theatre, a cinema near the affected area. A lot people are believed to be still inside. Police has the building surrounded.”
“The attacks have caused a lot of panic and the area has been locked down by police,” Vaessen said.
“The police are still investigating so we don’t know how and why the attack happened. There were at least six explosions, and so far it looks like the police was the target.”
An unknown number of people were injured in Thursday’s attack, which occurred at the Sarinah shopping centre near the presidential palace in the centre of the capital.
No one has claimed repsonsiblity for the attack, however, police have confirmed to Al Jazeera that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group has made specific threats towards targets in Indonesia recently. (Al Jazeera)
