Bali police expect to catch more terror suspects

INDONESIAN police yesterday said they expected to capture more accomplices following the arrest of a leading suspect in the Bali bombing the first major breakthrough in the inquiry.

Maj Gen I Made Mangku Pastika, heading an international investigation into the bombings, said detectives believed six to 10 people were involved in the October 12 attack on a nightclub district that killed nearly 200 people. Speaking in the Philippines, where he was attending an anti-terrorism conference, Pastika also raised the possibility of connections between the group and a regional terror organisation with links to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida.

Meanwhile, intelligence sources said an Indonesian man identified only as Amrozi whom police say took part in the attack admitted under interrogation having met militant cleric Abu Bakar Bashir and terror suspect Riduan Isamuddin, better known as Hambali and believed to be al-Qaida's point man in south east Asia.

The developments signalled the investigation was gaining momentum and seemed to back the suspicion that al-Qaida was involved in the bombing, the worst terrorist atrocity since September 11.

In Bali, Brig Gen Edward Aritonang, a spokesman for the international inquiry, said an intensive manhunt was going on in several regions where the perpetrators were believed to be hiding.

"If everything goes according to plan, we should be able to catch more of these people in the not too distant future," he said.

On Thursday, police chief Gen Da'i Bachtiar said Amrozi had admitted to taking part in the attack.