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Indonesian police stand guard in front of an apartment building after an explosion.
Photo: AP"We can confirm there are casualties among our members, but that's all we can say now," he said.
Horrific CCTV footage of the attack is circulating on social media. It shows the four men arrive at a security gate on two motorcycles in front of police headquarters and then a blast, moments later, as the bomb detonates.
Monday's attacks were likely also carried out by extremists linked to the Islamic State-inspired Jemaah Anshorut Daulah, or JAD group.
The attack comes just a day after a family of six suicide bombers launched coordinated attacks on three churches in the city. The youngest attacker was a girl aged just nine years old.
The death toll from those attacks has now risen to 17.
Soon after the attack on police headquarters, and as a crowd gathered, police detained a man in the crowd and questioned him over the contents of his backpack.
Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said the attack on the police station was an act of cowardice and uncivilised act.
An officer leads a sniffer dog at one of the sites of church attacks in Surabaya.
Photo: AP"I repeat we have to fight terrorism, we will fight them to their roots. I have instructed the police chief to take firm action, no compromise when taking actions in the field to stop these terror actions," he said.
The President said he had asked parliament, and the relevant ministers considering new anti-terrorism laws, to finalise those laws when parliament sits again on May 18.
"It’s the legal umbrella for the police to take firm action to prevent [terrorism] and to act. If by June it is not finalised, I will issue a presidential decree," he said.
Following the Surabaya church attacks, almost all cities in Indonesia increased security and alertness including Bali and Maluku (where sectarian conflicts started in 1999 and went on for a few years).
Houses of worship of all religions, public areas such terminals, airports, malls are under being guarded.
An Indonesian police stands guard, in front of an apartment building after an explosion in Sidoarjo, East Java.
Photo: APSchools in Surabaya city are closed for a day on Monday, May 14.
Another blast late on Sunday night on the outskirts of Surabaya in an apartment building is also being investigated by police.
More to come
with DPA
James Massola is south-east Asia correspondent, based in Jakarta. He was previously chief political correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, based in Canberra. He has been a Walkley and Quills finalist on three occasions.
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