JAKARTA, Indonesia — Thursday's attack in central Jakarta left residents in Indonesia's capital in fear for about five hours, until police said the area was secure. But the violence did not last nearly as long, perhaps well under 30 minutes. Gunfire was heard after that, but the only people firing were evidently police.
Here is a brief account of what happened from police and a witness:
— At about 10:50 a.m. (0450 GMT), a suicide bomber walked into a Starbucks and set off his explosives. He was the only person killed in the blast. The cafe is close to some U.N. offices and a shopping center on Thamrin Street, a major thoroughfare home to many luxury hotels, high-rise office buildings and embassies.
— As customers ran out, two gunmen outside opened fire, killing a Canadian man and wounding an Indonesian. A witness, Guruh Purwanto, said the gunmen then ran into a nearby theater.
— At about the same time, two other suicide bombers attacked a traffic police booth nearby, killing themselves and an Indonesian man.
— Minutes later, the two gunmen attacked a group of policemen, sparking a gunbattle that lasted about 15 minutes and ended with both attackers dead. Purwanto said the two attackers blew themselves up.
Sequence of events in Jakarta bombings and gunbattles
A police officer gives a hand signal to a squad mate as they search a building near the site of an explosion in Jakarta, Indonesia. AP/Tatan Syuflana