.
Only hours before Jakartans looked forward to enjoying the Ascension of Jesus Christ public holiday, a twin bomb attack struck the Kampung Melayu Transjakarta bus terminal on Wednesday night.
Two suspected suicide bombers died instantly, the police said.
At
least five policemen who were escorting a traditional parade to welcome
the Islamic fasting month of Ramadhan also fell victim, three of whom
are reported to have died. At least five civilians were also injured.
The
terrorist attack took place while the world was still mourning the
victims of the suicide bombing of the concert by US pop star Ariana
Grande in Manchester, UK, only a day before.
The busy Transjakarta bus rapid transit hub in East Jakarta and the
surrounding area descended into chaos after the explosions. The terminal
is located in a densely populated area.
Footage and pictures of
the scene have gone viral on social media. Some of the footage shows
people panicking, screaming and running away from the terminal. Other
images depict scattered body parts.
Traffic around the scene was blocked off and rerouted.
A police officer guards the bomb site at the Kampung Melayu bus station in East Jakarta. (Antara/Sigid Kurniawan)
National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Setyo Wasisto said one explosion occurred at a motorcycle parking lot.
“The
glass at the corridor seven [bus stop], where passengers alight, was
smashed to pieces,” Transjakarta president director Budi Kaliwono said,
adding that the Transjakarta service would continue, but would not stop
at Kampung Melayu.
He added that no Transjakarta staff or
passengers were among the casualties and urged members of the public to
immediately report any suspicious activities.
The injured victims were treated at the Premier Hospital and Hermina Hospital in East Jakarta.
As of midnight, no claim of responsibility for the attack had been received.
Setyo said he was optimistic the police would be able to identify the perpetrators and any possible terrorist ring soon.
“The
body parts [of the attackers] remain at the scene. The parts from the
neck above are still intact so the face can be identified,” he said.
Mobile
Brigade personnel from the Jakarta Police are deployed to the area
nearby the Kampung Melayu bus terminal in East Jakarta following bomb
blasts on Wednesday evening.(Antara/Sigid Kurniawan)
The attack
is believed to have been targeted at the police, making it the latest
terror attack to have targeted the police in recent years.
On
Jan. 14, 2016, Jakarta was rocked by multiple explosions, including one
at a police post, and gunfire around the Sarinah shopping mall in
Central Jakarta. At least eight people, including four attackers and
four civilians, were killed. A total of 20 people were injured,
including five police officers.
Setyo said the police had
detected possible attacks in Jakarta. “We were not able yet to identify
when or where [they might happen],” he said.
Setyo said the
police suspected the perpetrators of the attack were related to terror
groups behind other attacks in other countries, including the Manchester
bombing.
#PrayForJakarta and #KamiTidakTakut (We are not afraid)
emerged on the worldwide internet trending topic list immediately after
the incident.
“Everyone, please stay safe! #PrayforJakarta,”
Singer-songwriter Raisa posted on her twitter handle @Raisa6690, which
has been retweeted by more than 1,000 users as of 1 a.m. on Thursday.
Source - TheNation
