BREAKING NEWS: Bombs kill nine in Jakarta

Nine people have been killed and 40 injured in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta at the Ritz-Carlton and Marriott hotels, with one Australian tourist and one New Zealander among the injured.

National police spokesman Nanan Soekarna has said 41 people have been injured, while eight people died at the scene of the explosions and one later in hospital.

A third blast has been reported in the capital, but officials have said it was not a bomb and that none were injured. The blast has not been confirmed, but it was reportedly caused by a faulty car battery

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has said it cannot confirm whether Australians are among the injured, but a caller to radio 3AW has said his son was injured in the explosions.

“There were explosions heard from two separate places, one in the JW Marriott, the other in the Ritz Carlton. We are still trying to check because right now we are still helping the victims,” said South Jakarta police chief Firman Santyabudi.

The two hotels are located in the Jakarta central business district, while ambulances and police have set up a tight border around the crime scene.

The National Security Committee of the Australian Cabinet, which includes Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, foreign affairs minister Stephen Smith and defence minister John Faulkner, have received an emergency briefing.

The Indonesian Police are reportedly treating the explosions as a terrorist attack, with terror group Jemaah Islamiah suspected. The Marriott Hotel was previously attacked in 2003, for which Jemaah Islamiah was also blamed.

It may be preparing attacks ahead of the November 9 anniversary of the execution of some of the Bali bombers, a study from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute said.

But some are already blaming Al-Qaeda, saying the synchronised nature of the attacks is typical of the terrorist group.