Thursday, 14 January 2016

Police arrest 3 men on suspicion of links to Jakarta attack

A man is seen holding a gun as people run away in central Jakarta, Indonesia, in this picture provided to Reuters by Xinhua News Agency on Thursday.

Indonesians were shaken but refusing to be cowed a day after a deadly attack in a busy district of central Jakarta that has been claimed by the Islamic State group.

National police spokesman Anton Charliyan has told reporters a black IS flag was found with one of the Jakarta attackers and police believe they have established their identities.

In a new development, police on Friday told an Indonesian TV channel they arrested three men on suspicion of links to the attack that killed seven people including five attackers.

The area near a Starbucks coffee shop where the attack by suicide bombers and gunmen began remained cordoned off with a highly visible police presence on Friday.

Onlookers and journalists lingered nearby, with some people leaving flowers and messages of support.

A large screen atop the building that houses the Starbucks displayed messages that said “#prayforjakarta” and “Indonesia Unite.”

Newspapers carried bold front-page headlines declaring the country was united in condemnation of the attack, which was the first in Indonesia since 2009.

Depok area police chief Col. Dwiyono told MetroTV that the three men were arrested at dawn at their homes in Depok on the outskirts of Jakarta.

Dwiyono, who goes by one name, says the men are suspected militants and are being questioned over possible links to the attack on Thursday.

MetroTV broadcast footage of the handcuffed men being escorted by police.

Risti Amelia, an accountant at a company near the Starbucks restaurant said she was “still shaking and weak” when she returned to her office. Because staff remained emotional, the company decided to send workers home, she said.

Two civilians were killed in the attack that began Thursday morning, an Indonesian and a Canadian. Another 20 people were wounded.

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