IS 'claims deadly gun and bomb attacks in Jakarta'

Indonesia's police said that at least two people were killed by five Islamic State-inspired militants in a series of bombings and gun attacks in Jakarta.

The five attackers struck on Thursday in the central district of the Indonesian capital. Three suicide blasts were reported outside a Starbucks cafe, with the remaining attackers seizing hostages and shooting at security forces and passersby in a gun battle lasting several hours.

One hostage, believed to be a foreigner, was reported shot dead, although there were conflicting reports about his nationality.

An Indonesian who attempted to help the hostages was also killed, police said, while at least 20 people, including the other hostage, were injured.

In a statement published online, the Islamic State (IS) group said that a number of bombs "detonated at the same time as attacks from four soldiers of the caliphate ... with light weapons and suicide belts."

The AFP news agency reported a statement that said the attacks targeted a gathering of citizens from the "Crusader coalition," referring to the US-led alliance of countries combating IS in Iraq and Syria.

However, the statement said only four attackers were involved.

Jakarta police chief Tito Karnavian said he believed the attackers had links to IS in Raqqa, Syria.

He said that police had found six bombs planted in the area after the attack was ended.

Earlier a police spokesman had drawn parallels between the attack, which involved gunmen and suicide bombers, and the IS-orchestrated attacks on Paris in November that left 130 people dead.

"There is a strong suspicion that this is an IS-linked group in Indonesia," said Anton Charliyan. "From what we see today, this group is following the pattern of the Paris attacks."

He said police had received information in late November about a warning from IS that "there will be a concert" in Indonesia, meaning an attack.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo urged the public to remain calm and not to speculate on who was behind the attack.

"We condemn acts that disturb the peace of the people and sow terror," he said in televised comments.

"The people do not need to be afraid and should not be disturbed by these terrorist acts and I hope they remain calm because it is all controllable."

Witnesses described heavily armed security forces quickly arriving in large numbers, with commandos backed by snipers, helicopters and armoured vehicles confronting the attackers.

Thursday's attack unfolded opposite a United Nations building, from where Jeremy Douglas, the regional representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, tweeted updates as police battled the attackers.

The UN Environment Programme said a married Dutch employee had been seriously hurt in the attacks and was in a critical condition.

Unverified footage posted on Twitter also showed an explosion at the scene of the attacks.

Indonesia has been attacked by domestic Islamic militant groups with links to al-Qaeda in the past.

In 2002, an attack by the Jemaah Islamiyah group killed 202 people on the Indonesian island of Bali.

The Jakarta Globe newspaper reported in August 2014 that the jailed spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiyah had pledged allegiance to IS.

The paper also said that a local branch of IS calling itself Ansharul Khilafah was operating in the Central Java region.

An estimated 700 Indonesians are believed to be fighting in Syria and Iraq, according to a report on foreign fighters published last month by the Soufan Group, a security consultancy.