Islamic State claims role in Jakarta attacks as officials probe reach in Asia

Militants staged suicide bombings and opened fire in downtown Jakarta.

Members of a medical team carry the body of a victim into an ambulance at the scene of a bomb blast in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Jan. 14. 2016. (Roni Bintang/EPA)

Indonesia blamed Islamic State for an attack by suicide bombers and gunmen in the heart of Jakarta Jan. 14. (Reuters)

By Fred Barbash and Brian Murphy-January 14 

Militants staged suicide bombings and opened fire in Indonesia’s capital on Thursday in possible attempts by Islamic State followers to stage a Paris-style rampage through the teeming streets of Jakarta, officials said. Five attackers were among the seven dead.

Secretary of State John Kerry, joined by his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir, has condemned the attack in Jakarta by bombers and gunmen which killed seven people Jan. 14. (Reuters)
Islamic State Claims Role in Jakarta Attacks as Officials Probe Reach in Asia by Thavam Ratna