Bali bombing suspect captured in Pakistan

Bali bombing suspect captured in Pakistan

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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.

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