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Explosion reported in Menteng, Central Jakarta
"We expect the explosion was caused by a firecracker, because it was not big and there was no significant effect or casualties. It only caused flat tires because the blast occurred near a parked car."
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An explosion occurred on Jl. Yusuf Adiwinata in Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Sunday afternoon. Police temporarily closed the street after the incident. (Shutterstock/-)
A
n explosion occurred on Jl. Yusuf Adiwinata in Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Sunday afternoon. Police temporarily closed the street after the incident.
Central Jakarta Police Chief Sr. Com Heru Novianto said the explosion caused no casualties or significant damage.
"We expect the explosion was caused by a firecracker, because it was not big and there was no significant effect or casualties. It only caused flat tires because the blast occurred near a parked car." Heru said on Monday as reported by kompas.com.
Anto, a Menteng resident, said the explosion caused smoke to rise from underneath the car.
"I heard the explosion and immediately went out [of my house] to check. I did not know the source of the explosion at first. All I knew was that there was smoke rising from underneath the car, and not long after, someone came and put it out using a fire extinguisher," he said.
Joko, another resident, said the explosion occurred at about 2:15 p.m.
"I heard the explosion. It was quite loud. It even set off the alarm of a car parked about 10 meters from the explosion," he said.
Heru said it was unlikely that the explosion had any link to terrorism.
"Terrorists always seek victims and they always use dangerous explosive material. But we can conclude that the explosion was caused by a low-explosive material," he said.
The Jakarta police questioned five witnesses of the incident and reviewed CCTV footage from the area.
According to Heru, some witnesses claimed the perpetrator put the explosive under the car while others said they saw two unidentified motorcyclists throw the explosive near the car.
Police also questioned the car’s owner, who is an employee at a private company.
"We are still reviewing the car owner’s testimony. Maybe the company has some problems or something," Heru said, adding that the police were awaiting results from the forensics lab. (nal)
