JAKARTA - TWO suicide bombers carried out the twin attacks on luxury hotels in central Jakarta on Friday which killed at least nine people and injured more than 40 others, police said.

'Based on the evidence at the scene we found that there were two suicide bombers,' national police chief Bambang Hendarso Danuri told reporters.

He said witnesses had seen the suicide bombers who targeted the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels around 8:00am (9.00 am Singapore time), and police would examine body parts including DNA from a severed head to try to identify them.

Both bombs had been made in room 1808 of the Marriott, described by officials as the 'control centre' of the operation.

'The bombs which exploded at the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton were similar and were transported from JW Marriott room number 1808. There was one unexploded bomb left (in the room) which was dismantled,' Mr Danuri said.

It was too early in the investigation to speculate about who was behind the attacks, he said, although counter-terrorism police and analysts said suspicion inevitably fell on regional terror network Jemaah Islamiyah. -- AFP