Canadian officials are investigating reports that a Canadian is among seven people who were killed in a gun and bomb terror attack in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta on Thursday.
Canada strongly condemns the attacks on innocent civilians, Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion said in a statement.
“We are aware of reports that a Canadian may have been among the victims,” Dion said, offering his “heartfelt” condolences to the families and friends of the victims.
“The Government of Canada, in collaboration with Indonesian authorities, is investigating and attempting to confirm the identity of the victim.
“Canada will continue to stand by Indonesia and cooperate in the fight against extremism. We offer our full support to the Indonesian authorities during this challenging time.”
Indonesian security forces battled militants for hours in Jakarta’s business and shopping district.
IS claims responsibility
The brazen attack which also wounded at least 20 people follows warnings late last year that Islamists were planning a major attack.
A tweet purportedly sent out by the Amaq news agency of so-called Islamic State claimed that “soldiers of the Caliphate carried out an armed attack in Jakarta against foreigners and the security forces that were supposed to protect them.”
The attack began late morning local time, when the assailants set off bombs near a Starbucks cafe and police security post, in an area close to embassies and government buildings.
Jakarta police chief Maj.-Gen. Tito Karnavian told a news conference that the first suicide bombing happened at the Starbucks restaurant, causing customers to run out. Outside, two gunmen opened fire, killing the Canadian and wounding an Indonesian, he said.
A Dutch man who was seriously injured in the attack is “fighting for his life” and undergoing surgery, according to the chief of the UN Environment Program. The UNEP said the man works for the organization in Jakarta and is a “renowned expert in forestry and ecosystems management” who is part of a team supporting the Indonesian government in tackling peatland fires.
At about the same time two other suicide bombers attacked a nearby traffic police booth, killing themselves and an Indonesian man. Karnavian said that minutes later, a group of policemen was attacked by the remaining two gunmen, using homemade bombs. This led to a 15-minute gunfight in which both attackers were killed, he said.
Police then combed the building housing the Starbucks and another nearby building where they discovered six homemade bombs — five small ones and a big one.
Canadian witness
Tweets from the account of Jeremy Douglas, a Canadian who is regional representative of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, described a bomb and “serious” exchanges of gunfire on the street outside his Jakarta office.
Douglas was about 100 metres away from one of the explosions, as his car was pulling up to the UN building.
“As I stepped out of the car, the second suicide bomber blew himself up,” he told CBC News, calling it a “pretty big explosion.”
Douglas said he quickly ducked into his building, trying to reach the 10th floor where his colleagues were locked down.
He heard another blast.
“Then there was a series of explosions. I myself heard five,” he said. “And then we heard small arms fire in the street in front of the UN.”
Douglas said one of his European colleagues was in a Starbucks at the time of the attack and suffered serious injuries to his leg.
Following the attack, Ottawa updated its travel advisory for Indonesia, warning Canadians that they should exercise “a exercise a high degree of caution due to a continuing threat of terrorist attacks throughout the country.”
“Canadian citizens in Jakarta requiring emergency consular assistance should contact the Embassy of Canada in Jakarta at + 62 (21) 2550 7800, or call Global Affairs Canada’s 24/7 Emergency Watch and Response Centre collect at +1 613 996 8885,” officials said in an emailed statement. “An email can also be sent to sos@international.gc.ca.”
With files from The Associated Press and CBC News.
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