http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2011/03/2011329202931519548.html
Bali bombing suspect captured in Pakistan
Umar Patek, suspected member of Jemaah Islamiyah, was taken into custody
earlier this month, intelligence sources say.
Last Modified: 29 Mar 2011 21:53
A senior Indonesian al-Qaeda operative, wanted in the deadly 2002 Bali
bombings, has been arrested in Pakistan, a rare high-profile capture that could
provide valuable intelligence about the organisation and possible future plots.
Umar Patek, a suspected member of the al-Qaeda-linked rebel group Jemaah
Islamiyah, was taken into custody in Pakistan on March 2, intelligence sources
said on Tuesday.
Details about what he was doing in Pakistan remain obscure, raising questions
about whether he was there to plan an attack with al-Qaeda's senior operational
leaders as the 10-year anniversary of the September 11, 2001, looms over the
United States.
Patek, 40, is believed to have served as the group's deputy field commander in
the nightclub bombings that left 202 people dead, many of them foreigners.
He was a close associate of the deceased Dulmatin, the man who allegedly made
the bombs for the Bali attacks, including Noordin Top, another alleged
mastermind of the bombings.
The US which lost seven citizens in the attack, was offering a $1m reward for
Patek's arrest.
'High-profile terrorist'
News of his arrest came from two intelligence officials in Indonesia and
Philippines who cited information from US counterparts. Both spoke on condition
of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the information.
In depth
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The question of what to do with him could become a key indicator of how Barack
Obama, the US president, will handle major "terrorist suspects" captured
abroad.
However, American officials declined to comment on the case.
Patek is believed to have been among a group of Indonesians, Malaysians and
Filipinos who travelled to Afghanistan and Pakistan during the 1980s and 1990s
for training and fighting.
On their return to Southeast Asia, they formed Jemaah Islamiyah, blamed for a
string of suicide bombings targeting nightclubs, restaurants, hotels, and a
Western embassy in Indonesia. Together more than 260 people have died.
Patek fled to the southern Philippines after the Bali bombings, seeking refuge
and training with both the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and later, Abu
Sayyaf, security experts have said.
But he is believed to have remained heavily engaged in Jemaah Islamiyah
operations at home. His arrest in Pakistan is likely to raise questions over
how such a high-profile "terrorist" can travel across international borders.
There are also likely to be competing interests among intelligence agencies as
each fight for control over Patek.
According to the Jamestown Foundation, a national security policy institute in
Washington, Patek was one of the "last senior JI [Jemaah Islamiyah] commanders
with significant experience" in the original Afghan al-Qaeda camps and
longstanding ties to the network and its donors.
Source: Agencies
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