Main Bali terror suspect shot
2011-03-31 21:13
Islamabad - The main Indonesian suspect in the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people was shot and wounded by security forces who arrested him in Pakistan, an Indonesian official said on Thursday.
Umar Patek, a deputy commander of al-Qaeda's Southeast Asian affiliate Jemaah Islamiyah, was arrested in Pakistan on January 25 after a tip from the CIA, Pakistani and Indonesian security officials have said.
He was in a fire fight that broke out during his arrest, Sutanto, head of Indonesia's intelligence agency, told reporters in Jakarta. One of the officers was also hurt, he said.
Pakistan will provide Indonesian consular officials access to Patek so they can confirm his identity, said Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Tehmina Janjua, during her weekly press briefing on Thursday.
The arrest of Patek, who has a $1m (USD) price tag on his head, ends a 10-year international manhunt and is a major achievement in the global fight against al-Qaeda and its offshoots.
If he co-operates, the 40-year-old militant could give valuable intelligence on the current state of the extremist organization and its hardy affiliates in Southeast Asia.
Pakistani authorities are questioning Patek and will eventually hand him over to the Indonesians, Pakistani security officials have said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
- AP
