Jakarta. Thursday’s terror attack in Jakarta was proof Indonesia needs “stronger” antiterrorism laws, an official has said, pointing to a lack of legal support to make preemptive arrests.

Insp. Gen. Arif Darmawan of the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) said the police's "insufficient" authority to move against terrorism suspects is partially to blame for the attack which killed seven people, including five attackers.

“We could do nothing before criminal elements are met,” he said, citing Indonesia’s 2003 antiterrorism law. “Even if we knew they were forming a group supporting ISIS [Islamic State], it would be useless capturing them.”

Under the current laws, terror arrests made ahead of the execution of attacks can be thrown out by courts as charges may not meet the legal requirements, Arif said.

Al Chaidar, a leading terror expert, has also called on the government to revise the "weak" antiterrorism laws. Revisions would leave authorities "unimpeded" in pursuing suspects and preventing further attacks.

“The government should include a list of forbidden groups in the law,” he said. “With this, police could immediately move against suspected terrorists before they could start plotting terror acts.”