Jakarta (Antara Bali)- Chief of Jakarta's Metro Jaya Police Inspector General Tito Karnavian confirmed that the perpetrators of the Jakarta terror attack had been identified.
"We have identified them and from what group they belong," he said here on Friday.
The attackers are from an ISIS-linked group led by Bahrunnaim who wanted to head the ISIS group in Southeast Asia, he stated.
The police have intensified security arrangements at vital locations and busy areas.
All casualties are still in the police hospital of Kramat Jati, according to Karnavian.
Security guards of the Sarinah Department Store, who witnessed the attack, recalled that at 10:30 a.m. local time, six people carrying backpacks tried to enter the Sarinah building.
After searching their bags, the security guards suspected that they were carrying bombs, and hence, took them to a police post located near Sarinah.
Three of them, however, blew themselves up in the police post, while three others escaped and ran towards a nearby Starbucks Coffee shop.
One of the suicide bombers blew himself up in front of the Starbucks cafe and the rest pointed their guns at the people in the coffee shop.
Police personnel later arrived and a shootout started in front of the Starbucks cafe.
At 11:40 a.m. local time, the shootout ended, and the police officers combed the Cakrawala building, where Starbucks is located, to catch the escaping attackers. At 11:52 a.m. local time, gunshots were heard from the building.
Karnavian earlier confirmed that the attackers were linked to the ISIS terror group.
"Our team is now searching the network's members who are linked to the ISIS group in Raqqa," he noted at a press conference held at the presidential office following a meeting led by the president on the issue on Thursday.
He pointed out that the ISIS group had changed its strategy. They earlier operated only in Syria and Iraq, but after their leader, Abubakar Baghdadi, ordered them to operate outside Iraq and Syria, they had begun setting up ISIS terrorist cells across the world, he explained.
"The cells can be found in France, Europe, North Africa, and Turkey, as well as Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and others," he revealed.
Especially in Southeast Asia, there is a figure who is keen to set up a "Khatibah Nusantara," and he wants to be the leader of the ISIS group in the region.
"Later, a rivalry for leadership arose. In the Philippines, they have started a cell in South Philippines, and now, multiple people are competing for its leadership," he added. (WDY)
