IS suicide attack kills 7 in Jakarta

At least seven people, including two civilians and five attackers, were killed as Islamic State suicide bombers and gunmen struck the capital of Muslim-majority Indonesia yesterday, report agencies.   The attack bore the hallmarks of the Paris attacks, said Jakarta police.
Security forces battled militants for hours in a major business and shopping district packed with malls, embassies and United Nations offices. It follows warnings late last year that Islamists were planning a major attack. Indonesian president has termed the attack "acts of terror". The Islamic State group claimed responsibility, saying that the attack was carried out by "soldiers of the caliphate" who targeted a gathering of citizens from the "crusader coalition," referring to the US-led alliance combating the jihadists.
Jakarta police said the attack -- which also destroyed a police post -- was carried out by a network with links to IS in Syria and indicated Indonesian extremist Bahrum Naim, thought to have joined the jihadists, may have been involved in plotting it. The IS attack will send a chill through Indonesia and other parts of Southeast Asia with Muslim populations, where there are fears extremists bloodied on Middle Eastern battlefields could have brought their jihad home.
IS released a statement online claiming the attacks, which it said were carried out by "soldiers of the Caliphate", targeting "citizens of the Crusader coalition" against the group. Police said the five-strong cell that struck Thursday included three suicide firing at bystanders and reloading his weapon as security forces approached, taking cover behind vehicles. "I heard a loud bang, boom. It felt like an earthquake. We all went downstairs," said Ruli Koestaman, 32, who had been in a nearby building when the attack started mid-morning. "We then saw that the Starbucks downstairs was destroyed
too. I saw a foreigner -- Westerner, a man -- with a mangled hand but alive.
"A Starbucks waiter then ran out with blood coming out of his ear. And I asked anyone hurt inside, he said yes, one. Dead already.
"Then everybody gathered and a terrorist appeared. He had a gun and started shooting at us and then at Starbucks. Then the police post... exploded."
Graphic photographs from the scene showed the bloodied bodies of what appeared to be two men in civilian clothes lying by the side of a road next to the wrecked police post.

IS suicide attack kills 7 in Jakarta

At least seven people, including two civilians and five attackers, were killed as Islamic State suicide bombers and gunmen struck the capital of Muslim-majority Indonesia yesterday, report agencies. The attack bore the hallmarks of the Paris attacks, said Jakarta police. Security forces battled militants for hours in a major business and shopping district packed with malls, embassies and United Nations offices. It follows warnings late last year that Islamists were planning a major attack. Indonesian president has termed the attack acts of terror. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility, saying that the attack was carried out by soldiers of the caliphate who targeted a gathering of citizens from the crusader coalition, referring to the US-led alliance combating the jihadists. Jakarta police said the attack -- which also destroyed a police post -- was carried out by a network with links to IS in Syria and indicated Indonesian extremist Bahrum Naim, thought to have joined the jihadists, may have been involved in plotting it. The IS attack will send a chill through Indonesia and other parts of Southeast Asia with Muslim populations, where there are fears extremists bloodied on Middle Eastern battlefields could have brought their jihad home. IS released a statement online claiming the attacks, which it said were carried out by soldiers of the Caliphate, targeting citizens of the Crusader coalition against the group. Police said the five-strong cell that struck Thursday included three suicide firing at bystanders and reloading his weapon as security forces approached, taking cover behind vehicles. I heard a loud bang, boom. It felt like an earthquake. We all went downstairs, said Ruli Koestaman, 32, who had been in a nearby building when the attack started mid-morning. We then saw that the Starbucks downstairs was destroyed too. I saw a foreigner -- Westerner, a man -- with a mangled hand but alive. A Starbucks waiter then ran out with blood coming out of his ear. And I asked anyone hurt inside, he said yes, one. Dead already. Then everybody gathered and a terrorist appeared. He had a gun and started shooting at us and then at Starbucks. Then the police post... exploded. Graphic photographs from the scene showed the bloodied bodies of what appeared to be two men in civilian clothes lying by the side of a road next to the wrecked police post.