Canada condemns terror attacks in Indonesia

Canada condemned on Thursday the attacks in Indonesia's capital, which killed seven people including one Canadian national.

"The hearts of Canada and Canadians go out to the people of Indonesia and the families and victims of these terrible attacks and we of course will be supporting the Indonesian government in anything it needs from Canada through this difficult time," said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a visit to Kitchener in Ontario Thursday.

Suicide bombers and attackers set off explosions at a busy shopping center in downtown Jakarta late Thursday local time and waged gun battles with police. Jakarta police chief Tito Karnavian said terror group Islamic State (IS) was the perpetrator of the attacks, which also claimed the lives of an Indonesian and five assailants.

In a statement issued Thursday afternoon, Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion said the Canadian government is working with Indonesian authorities to confirm the identity of the Canadian victim.

"On behalf of all Canadians, I offer my heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the victims and wish a speedy recovery to the wounded," Dion said in the statement. "Canada will continue to stand by Indonesia and cooperate in the fight against extremism."

The Global Affairs Canada said it is not releasing more details in order to protect the identity of the person concerned.

Following the Jakarta attacks, Ottawa updated its travel advisory for Indonesia, warning Canadians that they should exercise a "high degree of caution" there due to a "continuing threat of terrorist attacks" in the country.

It was the first major attack in Indonesia's capital since the 2009 bombings of two hotels that killed seven people and injured more than 50. Before that, bombings at nightclubs on the resort island of Bali in 2002 killed 202 people, mostly foreigners. Enditem