New Delhi:
A suspected suicide bombing near a bus terminal in Indonesia’s capital on Wednesday night killed a policeman and injured nine other people, including four officers, police said.
“There were two blasts at around 9:00 PM (1930 IST), close to each other, there are three victims,” East Jakarta police chief Andry Wibowo told TV station MetroTV, without saying whether the victims had been killed or injured.
“From the damage I can see the explosions were pretty big.” It was not immediately clear what caused the blasts at the Kampung Melayu terminal, which is served by mini-vans and buses.
TV pictures showed smoke rising from the terminal and police rushing to carry casualties away from the scene. Large numbers of police officers were at the scene and had cordoned it off.
Vice National Police Chief Syafruddin, who uses one name, said an initial investigation showed there were two explosions and a suspected suicide bomber had also died.
“Tonight, to Indonesian citizens and all of us who are here at the scene, I express very deep concern. There have been bomb explosions at the Kampung Melayu bus terminal and for now they are believed to have been a suicide bombing,” he said.
He said the officers had been guarding a parade by a group of local people.
National police spokesman Setyo Wasisto said two people had died and nine others were injured five civilians and four policemen. He said the victims were taken to several hospitals.
The explosion occurred in a parking lot next to the bus terminal in eastern Jakarta. A bomb squad was investigating the explosion as heavily armed police guarded the area.
TV channels showed people helping a victim lying on the ground, and three policemen carrying another victim away from the scene.
Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, generally follows a moderate form of the faith.
The government has carried out a sustained crackdown on militants since the 2002 Bali bombings by al-Qaida-affiliated radicals that killed 202 people. A new threat has emerged in the past several years from extremists who sympathise with the Islamic State group.
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