JAKARTA, Jan 16 – The terrorist group which carried out the bomb and firearms attack in the Jalan Thamrin area Thursday was actually making police their primary target. Republic of Indonesia police chief, Badrodin Haiti said the terrorist group was targeting police in the attack as they were unhappy with the success of the police in tracking and foiling their movements and their members were frequently apprehended.
“Their main target is the police. Why are we made the target? It’s because we have been obstructing and arresting them. Police had launched a manhunt for the remaining members of the group involved in the bomb and firearms attack on Thursday,” Badrodin told reporters, here, Friday.
Police have yet to reveal the identities of the five terrorists who were shot dead in Thursday’s incident, but police are confident of their links to the Daesh militant network. He also said that they are sure they belong to the ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) network.
Seven people comprising five suspected terrorists and two members of the public were killed in the bomb and firearms attack at a Starbucks restaurant in Cakrawala Mall, located next to the Sarinah Thamrin shopping centre in Jalan MH Thamrin, here. The 10.50am incident shocked Jakarta residents around the area.
Meanwhile, Bernama observed on Friday that the site of the incident was still being guarded by police although members of the public were allowed to enter Cakrawala Mall. A group of people was seen gathering at the spot and it is learnt that they plan to hold a demonstration there to protest the attack and to show that they are not cowed by terrorist activities in the country.
