On 14 January 2016, multiple explosions and gunfire were reported near the
Sarinah shopping mall in central
Jakarta,
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
, at the intersection of Jalan Kyai Haji Wahid Hasyim and
Jalan MH Thamrin.
One blast went off in a
Burger King restaurant outside the mall.
The attack occurred near a
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
(UN) information centre, as well as luxury hotels and foreign embassies.
The
United Nations Environment Programme
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on th ...
(UNEP) confirmed that a Dutch UN official was seriously injured in the attacks.
It was reported an armed stand-off took place on the fourth level of the Menara Cakrawala (Skyline Building) on Jalan MH Thamrin. At least eight people—four attackers and four civilians (three Indonesians and an Algerian-Canadian)—were killed, and 23 others were injured due to the attack. The
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...
(ISIL) claimed responsibility.
Background
Though Indonesia is far from the conflicts of the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...
, the country has experienced several attacks by Islamist militants in the past two decades that have killed hundreds.
[
This was the first major attack in Jakarta since the 2009 Jakarta bombings, which were carried out by ]Jemaah Islamiyah
Jemaah Islamiyah ( ar, الجماعة الإسلامية, ''al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmiyyah'', meaning "Islamic Congregation", frequently abbreviated JI) is a Southeast Asian militant extremist Islamist terrorist group based in Indonesia, which i ...
(JI) and killed 7 plus 2 suicide bombers.[ JI is an al-Qaeda-linked group seeking to unite Indonesia, ]Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
, and the southern Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
under an Islamic state. Since the 2002 Bali bombings
The 2002 Bali bombings occurred on 12 October 2002 in the tourist district of Kuta on the Indonesian island of Bali. The attack killed 202 people (including 88 Australians, 38 Indonesians, 23 Britons, and people of more than 20 other national ...
, in which over 200 were killed, Indonesia has stepped up attempts to crack down on violent extremism
Violent extremism is a form of extremism that condones and enacts violence with ideological or deliberate intent, such as religious or political violence. Violent extremist views can manifest in connection with a range of issues, including politics ...
. A law was enacted by the Indonesian legislature in 2003 in this regard.
According to a spokesman for the Indonesian National Police, the police had received information in November 2015 about a warning from ISIL that there would be an attack in Indonesia. In 2015, it was reported by the Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict that at least 50 Indonesians had joined the thousands of foreign fighters who have travelled to Syria to fight for extremist groups trying to create an Islamic state there.
Attacks
On 14 January 2016 at 10:40 a.m. local time, several blasts followed by gunfire were reported to have occurred in Central Jakarta, which is home to many luxury hotels, offices and embassies.[ According to a spokesman for the Indonesian National Police, the attack involved an unknown number of assailants with grenades and guns.] A total of six explosions were counted by news media.
The attack targeted a traffic police post at a major intersection, not far from the front doors of a Starbucks coffee shop and a Burger King franchise. The post was heavily damaged by explosions.[ Although three explosions in Cikini, Slipi, and Kuningan neighbourhoods, near Turkish and Pakistan embassies were reported, the Jakarta police later denied these explosions, as well as attacks in Simatupang and Palmerah, as a hoax. One explosion went off in front of a shopping centre called the Sarinah mall, near the UN office.]
Footage later emerged purportedly showing two attackers huddling together outside the Starbucks outlet when one of their suicide bombs was activated and they were blown up.
A series of pictures showed two gunmen opening fire against a crowd which gathered on Jalan M.H. Thamrin around a police post damaged by the bombings. The first gunman appears to shoot at two police officers, and the crowd disperses. The second gunman then shoots another policeman at close range. A police spokesman said the first gunman then took two hostages, a Dutchman and an Algerian, in the Skyline building car park, and both gunmen were later shot dead by police.
Perpetrators
According to Jakarta police, an ISIL-linked Indonesian extremist, Bahrun Naim, was the mastermind behind the attack. Naim, thought to be a native of Pekalongan
Pekalongan ( jv, ꦦꦼꦏꦭꦺꦴꦔꦤ꧀) is a city of Central Java, Indonesia. It was formerly the seat of Pekalongan Regency on the northern coast of the province, but is now an independent municipality within the province. The city is Cen ...
city in Central Java, relocated to Raqqa
Raqqa ( ar, ٱلرَّقَّة, ar-Raqqah, also and ) (Kurdish: Reqa/ ڕەقە) is a city in Syria on the northeast bank of the Euphrates River, about east of Aleppo. It is located east of the Tabqa Dam, Syria's largest dam. The Hellenistic, ...
, Syria sometime before the attacks; he has been known to authorities since at least 2010.[Jakarta attacks: Profile of suspect Bahrun Naim](_blank)
BBC News (14 January 2016). Naim appeared to maintain a blog in which he praises terrorist attacks, including the November 2015 Paris attacks, and calls on Indonesians to carry out such attacks in the archipelago. Naim was arrested in November 2010 at his home in Solo, Indonesia on suspicion of terrorism connections and was convicted in June 2011 on weapons charges, with the court finding insufficient evidence to convict him of terrorism.
An Indonesian national police official said three men had been detained in the investigation into a four-hour siege in the nation's capital Thursday that left seven people dead.
Police were able to name one of the attackers, the subject of a widely shared image that became the face of the attack, Afif Sunakim, who was seen carrying a gun and rucksack during the attacks. He was earlier sentenced to seven years for attending a militant camp.
Four attackers died during the attack. The two attackers who died in a suicide bombing were identified as Dian Juni Kurniadi and Ahmad Muhazab Saron, both aged 26. Two attackers who died in a shootout with police were named: firstly Afif, a.k.a. Sunakim a.k.a. Sunardi (age unknown), and secondly Marwan, a.k.a. Muhammad Ali (aged 40).
Individuals in Malaysia may have been connected.
Casualties
A total of twenty people were injured, including five police officers and an Algerian, who escaped from Starbucks. The Dutch embassy also confirmed that one of its nationals was seriously injured and being treated at a hospital. According to ''The New Paper'', authorities had noted that some of the casualties were injured or killed while taking selfies
A selfie () is a self-portrait photograph, typically taken with a digital camera or smartphone, which may be held in the hand or supported by a selfie stick. Selfies are often shared on social media, via social networking services such as Face ...
.
Of the four civilian casualties, three died on the day of the attack: Taher Amer-Ouali, 70, an Algerian-Canadian hearing care specialist visiting family in Indonesia when he was shot; Rico Hermawan, 20 or 21, an Indonesian summoned for a traffic offence when a bomb exploded at the police post;[ Sugito, 43, an Indonesian courier who was originally labelled as being an attacker due to him sharing a name with a suspected terrorist.] Rais Karna, 37, an Indonesian working at Jakarta branch of Bangkok Bank
Bangkok Bank Public Company Limited ( th, ธนาคารกรุงเทพ, RTGS: Thanakhan Krung Thep) is one of the largest commercial banks in Thailand. Its branch network includes over 1,165 branches, As of September 2018 within Thail ...
as a security guard, was the fourth civilian casualty, dying in hospital two days after the attack from head bullet wounds.[
]
Aftermath
Two days after the attack, Indonesian security forces arrested twelve people linked with the men. The twelve arrested were accused of plotting further attacks against Indonesian government, police and foreign targets in connection with the attackers who were shot dead in the attack.
A counterterrorism movie based on the attacks, titled ''22 Minutes'', is released to tell the 22 minutes of the attack
Reactions
Domestic
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
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President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Joko Widodo called the attacks "acts of terror" in a televised statement. In his statement, he said "Our nation and our people should not be afraid. We will not be defeated by these acts of terror. I hope the public stays calm. We all are grieving for the fallen victims of this incident, but we also condemn the act that has disturbed the security and peace and spread terror among our people."
Residents of Jakarta, and across Indonesia took his statement "We are not afraid" to social media with the hashtag #KamiTidakTakut, which was widely used on Twitter in posts offering condolences to the victims or for expressing defiance.[
Starbucks issued a press statement condemning the attack.][ They also stated that they would close all their Jakarta branches "until further notice." However, Starbucks later re-opened all locations in Indonesia except for the store where the attacks took place.
]
International
;Supranational
*: The ASEAN member states condemned the attacks and extend its deepest sympathies to Indonesian government and families of the victims, as well supporting Indonesian authorities action to bring the perpetrators to justice.
*: High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini
Federica Mogherini (; born 16 June 1973) is an Italian politician who served as High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission from 2014 to 2019. She previously served as I ...
sympathized with the relatives and friends of the victims noting that terrorism is the global problem which is to be tackled globally. Federica Mogherini also promised Indonesian government to cooperate closely with Indonesia in defending peace and the values of freedom and diversity.
*: Secretary-General of the United Nations
The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or SG) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the six principal organs of the United Nations.
The role of the secretary-g ...
Ban Ki-moon condemned the attacks, and reaffirmed that "there is absolutely no justification" for such acts of terrorism.
;States
*: Foreign Minister Julie Bishop
Julie Isabel Bishop (born 17 July 1956) is an Australian former politician who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2013 to 2018 and deputy leader of the Liberal Party from 2007 to 2018. She was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Curtin ...
released a statement stating that she had been in touch with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi
Retno Lestari Priansari Marsudi (born 27 November 1962) is an Indonesian diplomat who has been serving as the Minister for Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet of Joko Widodo since 2014. She is the first female minister appointed to the post. She was ...
, offering any support Indonesia needed to respond to the attacks. She also stated that the Australian Government
The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government ...
condemned the attacks. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade advised Australians in Jakarta to limit movement and follow the instructions of authorities.
*: Belarus' Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the attacks.
*: Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah sent condolences to Indonesia and condemned the attacks.
*: Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion
Stéphane Maurice Dion (born 28 September 1955) is a Canadian diplomat, academic and former politician who has been the Canadian ambassador to France and Monaco since 2022 and special envoy to the European Union since 2017. Dion was Leader of ...
vowed to double down on efforts to fight extremism after the attack occurred, stating "Canada will continue to stand by Indonesia and co-operate in the fight against extremism. We offer our full support to the Indonesian authorities during this challenging time." Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Justin Pierre James Trudeau ( , ; born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who is the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada. He has served as the prime minister of Canada since 2015 and as the leader of the Liberal Party since 2 ...
also offered similar support to Indonesia.
*: Spokesperson Hong Lei of the Chinese Foreign Ministry
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China () is the first-ranked executive department of the State Council of the Chinese government, responsible for the foreign relations of the People's Republic of China. It is led ...
said the Chinese Government strongly condemns the perpetrators of the attacks.
*: The Government of East Timor
Politics of East Timor takes place in a framework of a unitary semi-presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of East Timor is the head of government and the President of East Timor exercises the functio ...
condemned the attacks and support Indonesian efforts in combating terrorism.
*: Egypt condemned the attacks.
*: Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament fro ...
condemned the "reprehensible" attacks and said his thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. He prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.
*: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
Shinzo Abe ( ; ja, 安倍 晋三, Hepburn: , ; 21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 20 ...
said he was "shocked and infuriated by the attacks and that Japan will stand by Indonesia in strongly condemning them and never tolerating such acts."
*: Prime Minister Najib Razak wrote on ''Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
'' that he was "deeply shocked and saddened" and offered help to Indonesia in any possibility means, while the Malaysian government
The Government of Malaysia, officially the Federal Government of Malaysia ( ms, Kerajaan Persekutuan Malaysia), is based in the Federal Territory of Putrajaya with the exception of the legislative branch, which is located in Kuala Lumpur. Mala ...
condemned the attacks.
*: Minister of Foreign Affairs
A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...
Bert Koenders
Albert Gerard "Bert" Koenders (; born 28 May 1958) is a Dutch politician of the Labour Party (Netherlands), Labour Party (PvdA) who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2014 to 2017. He is curr ...
condemned the attacks and offered assistance.
*: New Zealand Government strongly condemned the attacks, while Nikki Kaye
Nicola Laura Kaye (born 11 February 1980) is a New Zealand politician who served as Deputy Leader of the New Zealand National Party and Deputy Leader of the Opposition from 22 May 2020 to 14 July 2020.
Kaye served as the member of the New Ze ...
, New Zealand's Duty Minister said the explosions in Jakarta and the death of innocent people were "deeply disturbing".
*: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (Urdu, Punjabi: ; born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani businessman and politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms. He is the longest-serving prime minister of Pak ...
strongly condemned the attacks. He said "the People and Government of Pakistan share the pain of Indonesian brethren at this critical moment" and that "terrorism was a common threat to Muslim countries and to fight it, was their collective responsibility."
*: The Department of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the attacks and expressed its solidarity with the Indonesian people. In relation, The Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) ( fil, Sandatahang Lakas ng Pilipinas) are the military forces of the Philippines. It consists of three main service branches; the Army, the Air Force, and the Navy (including the Marine Corps). The ...
investigate reports that some of the guns used by the perpetrators behind Jakarta attacks were made from the Philippines.
*: Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir
Adel Al-Jubeir ( ar, عادل بن أحمد الجبير; born 1 February 1962) is a Saudi diplomat who is the former Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs and the current Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. He is the second person not belon ...
condemned the attack, stating that the attack should "strengthen our resolve to work effectively together to combat the scourge of terrorism."
*: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
Lee Hsien Loong (; born 10 February 1952) is a Singaporean politician and former brigadier-general who has been serving as Prime Minister of Singapore and Secretary-General of the People's Action Party since 2004. He has been the Member of Par ...
wrote on a ''Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...
'' post that he was "shocked and dismayed by news of the bomb attacks in Jakarta." A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...
condemned the attacks and said the country supported Indonesia in bringing those responsible to justice.[
*: Sri Lanka's Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the terrorists attacks.
*: Prime Minister ]Prayut Chan-o-cha
Prayut Chan-o-cha (sometimes spelled Prayuth Chan-ocha; th, ประยุทธ์ จันทร์โอชา, ; born 21 March 1954) is a Thai politician and retired army officer who has served as the Prime Minister of Thailand since he ...
was saddened to hear the recent attacks and offered condolences and his country support to Indonesia.
*: Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond condemned the attacks as a "senseless acts of terror" and called on all British nationals in Jakarta and elsewhere in Indonesia "to maintain vigilance and monitor travel advice, local media and to follow the advice of local security authorities".[ The Foreign and Commonwealth Office advised Britons to follow the instructions of the authorities and limit movements around the affected areas.
*: The ]U.S. embassy
The United States has the second most Diplomatic mission, diplomatic missions of any country in the world List of diplomatic missions of China, after Mainland China, including 166 of the 193 member countries of the United Nations, as well as obse ...
encouraged its citizens to stay away from areas around the Sari Pan Pacific Hotel and Sarinah Plaza.
*: Spokesperson of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Hai Binh condemned the attacks with its embassy have working with Indonesian officials to monitor the situation.
See also
* List of terrorist incidents in Indonesia
* List of terrorist incidents linked to ISIL
The following is a list of major terrorist attacks and arrests that have been connected to or have been claimed in reliable sources to be inspired by the Islamic State (IS), also known by other names.
Between June 2014, when the group self-pr ...
* List of terrorist incidents, January–June 2016
This is a list of terrorist incidents which took place in 2016, including attacks by violent non-state actors for political motives. Note that terrorism related to drug wars and cartel violence is not included in these lists. Ongoing military con ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jakarta attacks, 2016
2016 disasters in Indonesia
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Murder in Jakarta
Improvised explosive device bombings in Indonesia
Islamic terrorist incidents in 2016
Mass murder in 2016
Mass shootings in Indonesia
Islamic terrorism in Indonesia
Suicide bombings in Indonesia
Terrorist incidents in Indonesia in 2016
ISIL terrorist incidents in Indonesia
Starbucks
January 2016 crimes in Asia
January 2016 events in Indonesia
Building bombings in Indonesia
Terrorist incidents in Jakarta
2016 murders in Indonesia