JAKARTA: Indonesian police said they shot a suspected militant in the West Java capital of Bandung on Monday after his bomb exploded in a vacant lot and he fled into a municipal building and set it alight.

West Java province police chief Anton Charliyan said the man was seriously injured.

He said no one apart from the suspected militant was hurt in the attack, which triggered a massive police response and apparent gunbattle.

All workers in the building escaped after the attacker ran into it, he said.

TV showed police using a ladder to help some people out through the building’s windows.

“We are still investigating the suspect and the motive behind this,” Charliyan said.

“Preliminary information shows that he was apparently under the monitoring of the anti-terror squad as he was suspected of links to an alleged extremist group.”

West Java police spokesman Yusri Yunus said two people may have been involved in the attack because witnesses told police they saw one man escaping on a motorbike following the explosion.

The low-explosive bomb exploded in a vacant lot about 50 meters (55 yards) from the municipal building.

TV showed police storming the building as black smoke billowed from its upper floors. — AP/nst