KUALA LUMPUR: Central Jakarta is now in lockdown with residents and workers told to stay indoors as police hunted down 10 suspects following six blasts that rocked the Indonesian capital this morning.
As of noon, Jakarta’s nerve centre, at least the 5km radius from the Thamrin intersection where the first two blasts rocked the Sarinah mall up to the Sudirman/Plaza Indonesia roundabout, near the JW Marriot which was the scene of a 2003 suicide bombing, were closed to traffic.
The scene along Jalan Sudirman was one of chaos as news of the six bomb blasts in surrounding areas hit the internet, before Jakarta police sent out alerts notifying people to stay indoors and workers not to leave their offices as they charged in pursuit of the 10 assailants.
A Jakarta-based Malaysian bank officer, who declined to be named, said his office was in shock upon receiving the news.
“Although we are on the same road (Jalan Sudirman), we could not hear the explosion. We learned of the tragedy through social media updates and we were told by authorities to stay indoors,” he said.
“As soon as the news broke out, everyone was on their phonea to check on their family members. It was chaotic.”
The United States Embassy in Jakarta, in a brief statement, alerted the public that police were in pursuit of 10 assailants, who were targeting public spaces and called for them to stay indoors.