At atomic four humans accept been dead by the blasts, which hit locations including a arcade centre abreast the presidential alcazar and UN offices.
Hundreds of police, including snipers, are on the streets exchanging blaze with doubtable attackers.
There is no adumbration yet of who ability be abaft the assault.
Indonesia has been attacked by Islamist active groups in the accomplished and has afresh been on top active afterwards threats from the alleged Islamic State.
'Gunfire appropriate now'
BBC Indonesia anchorman Jerome Wirawan, who is at the scene, said badge had cordoned off the breadth about the Sarinah junction, area at atomic one of the blasts happened.
National badge agent told AFP humans had been warned to break central in case of added explosions
.
A UN official, Jeremy Douglas, told the BBC had been about 150m abroad from one of the blasts abreast the UN building.
"Then we ran into the building. We heard a third explosion. We got up to our appointment on the tenth attic and we heard a fourth, a fifth and a sixth.
"There is battery traveling on in the artery appropriate now."
A Reuters columnist said one access had been at a Starbucks cafe, with its windows destroyed out.
He said badge appeared to be aiming accoutrements at a man on the roof of the building.
'Maximum damage' - Karishma Vaswani, BBC News
Although it's cryptic who is abaft these attacks and too aboriginal to say who ability be responsible, Jakarta badge accept been adage for some time that an advance on Indonesian clay may be just a amount of time.
The antecedent attributes of these attacks arise advised to arm-twist best damage.
Although no-one has claimed albatross for these attacks, in the endure few years there accept been anywhere amid 150-200 Indonesians who it is anticipation accept gone to Syria to action with IS.
Many accept back alternate and the badge accept anticipation that they ability be advancing an advance in Indonesia.
Indonesia is the world's a lot of crawling Muslim nation but by and ample is secular, although in contempo years the blackmail of radicalism has remained top as baby networks of militants are still anticipation to be operating in the country.
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