IS flag, note found at south Jakarta police HQ

JAKARTA - Jakarta Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat (pic) has urged the public to be more vigilant after an Islamic State (IS) flag was found at the police headquarters in south Jakarta.

It had been placed on a fence surrounding the Kebayoran Lama police headquarters on Tuesday.

An unknown individual riding a motorcycle was reported to have stopped briefly in front of the building to place the flag, which measured 1m by 50cm, on the fence.

The police also found a letter that threatened to turn Jakarta into a war zone like the Philippine city of Marawi, where Islamist terrorists and the Philippine army have been engaged in an ongoing battle that began in May.

"This is a warning to the police and citizens to be more vigilant," Djarot said in Jakarta on Tuesday.

The situation at the police headquarters has returned to normal, kompas.com reported.

"The service should run normally and the incident should not hamper our activities," Kebayoran Lama police chief commissioner Ardi Rahananto said.

The police are checking closed-circuit TV footage and searching for witnesses as part of their investigations. - The Straits Times/Asia News Network