Indonesia's anti-terrorism police on Wednesday killed three suspected militants after a fierce gunbattle at a house in the south of the capital city of Jakarta, a police spokesperson said.
The Indonesian police raided the suspects' house after they interrogated at least 14 people after a string of arrests associated with multiple suicide attacks in Jakarta and other regions of the country. Reports state that during the raid, the suspects threw something at them which turned out to be a bomb, which did not explode.
"During the raid, we tried to be careful but they threw something from inside the house and it was a bomb but it did not explode. Then they fired from inside," national police spokesperson Rikwanto told Metro TV.
A television footage shown by an Indonesia media channel showed a bomb diffusal squad official wearing a blast-resistant suit and entering the suspects' house where the bomb had been thrown from.
"Inside the house we found a bigger bomb and now we are investigating it to try to detonate it," the police spokesperson said. He also added that one of the suspects in the incident has been found alive.
According to a senior officer from South Tengerang police, after the investigators questioned the suspect who was taken alive, they found out that they were planning to use a bigger bomb in the capital at the end of the year. The suspect, however, did not indicate any specific target of their plan.
The Indonesian police had interrogated at least 14 people earlier this week over suicide bomb plots targeting the presidential palace in the capital and also an undisclosed location outside Java island. Reports state that both the incidents involved a female suicide bomber, which is a new tactic adopted by the militants in Indonesia.
The authorities believe that the suspects killed were supporters of the Islamic State (ISIS) group and were planning to detonate a "large, homemade" bomb after stabbing some officers at a traffic post.
