"They target foreign interests because they are seeking vengeance for the western worlds treatment of Islam," he said at the office of the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs here on Friday.
Besides foreigners, they also targeted law enforcers, he said, adding that he had informed law enforcement agencies about such an attack much before the actual attack took place.
"We had informed that they would conduct an orchestra (attack) and told the security apparatus in the field to be alert because they were indeed going to be targeted," he said.
Six blasts and then shooting was heard in front of the Starbucks cafe and a police post in the Sarinah department store area on Thamrin Boulevard on Thursday.
Police later said that 24 people had been wounded in the incident while seven others were killed including two civilians and five alleged perpetrators of the blasts and shooting.
"Twenty four people were wounded, including five police officers who have suffered serious injuries," National Police spokesman Inspector General Anton Charliyan said.
He said two of the five perpetrators died after carrying out suicide bombings and three others died after being shot by police.
Of the two civilians killed in the incident, one was a Canadian national while the other was an Indonesian citizen.
Several foreigners were also among the wounded.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2016
