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9 Facts About Yesterday’s Jakarta Bombing That You Probably Want to Know

2017-05-25 , 11:17 am

Just days after a bomb exploded at Arianna Grande’s concert in Manchester, which killed 22 people, another bomb attack took place.

This time in Jakarta, Indonesia, closer to us.

Here are 9 facts about the East Jakarta bombing that took place last night.

1. The attack took place at a bus terminal

The attack took place at a busy bus terminal on the east side of Jakarta at Kampung Melayu at about 9 pm (10 pm Singapore Time). A working class district in the city, it was not a popular place for tourists or foreigners.

The bus company that manage local bus services, Transjakarta, tweeted at 9.40 pm local time about the incident and said it was a suicide bombing.

2. Two different suicide bombers took part in the attack

Two separate explosions were heard within 5-10 minutes of each other, eyewitnesses told the media.

“I was on a flyover and then I heard the first explosion… There was a 10 minute gap between the two explosions.” – The Jakarta Post

National police spokesman Setyo Wasisto had told reporters earlier that he believed only one attacker was involved. But later, he changed his statement and said two suicide bombers were involved in the attack.

3. Five dead, 10 wounded from the bombs

The bus terminal was bustling as locals were going home from work at that time.

Of the five casualties, three are police officers who were at the scene when the bomb went off and two are suspected suicide bombers.

Five other police officers and five civilians were wounded in the blast and taken to the hospital.

4. Scattered body parts including the head of an alleged suicide bomber

It was chaos after the bombs went off and body parts were scattered around the area.

Footage filmed by civilians showed a crowd gathering around a dismembered arm. (Warning: graphic images within)

The bus terminal was cordoned off by armed personnel, and police officers were seen rushing injured people from the scene.

5. The police officers were there to guard a local parade

The police officers in the bus terminal were there to provide security for a local parade that is going through the area.

When the bombs went off, the parade has yet to reach the site.

6. No groups came forward to claim responsibility for the attacks yet

Like hackers who couldn’t resist bragging about their successful hacking attempts into big conglomerates, terrorist cells typically come forward to claim responsibility for terror attacks.

But this time, there wasn’t any. Yet.

However, the bombs were packed into pressure cookers, similar to a bomb used in February in the city of Bandung by a single attacker.

It was suspected then that the attacker in the city of Bandung has links to an extremist network which is sympathetic to ISIS.

7. A long history of Islamic militant attacks

Indonesia is no stranger to attacks by extremist networks.

In January last year, a gun and suicide attack in the capital left four attackers and four civilians dead. It was also the first assault claimed by the ISIS.

In 2002, bombs exploded in Bali which killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists.

8. IS militants has no capability to launch serious attacks

Indonesia has carried a sustained crackdown on terrorism which served to weaken powerful terrorist networks in the country.

There were numerous terror plots that failed.

Analysts at that time claimed that the extremist networks in Indonesia do not have the capability to launch serious attacks.

However, the reemergence of IS has proven as a strong rallying point for radicals to flock to.

9. Singaporeans advised to stay clear of the area and to register with MFA

Singaporeans in Jakarta are advised to stay clear of Kampung Melayu.

In addition, they’re advised to register with the MFA online at eregister.mfa.gov.sg.

For urgent assistance, you can contact the Singapore Embassy in Jakarta (+62 811 863 348) or the MFA Duty Office (+65 6379 8800/8855).

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Feature Image: abc.net.au

This article was first published on goodyfeed.com