Bali bombings mastermind held in Pakistan

AN alleged mastermind of the 2002 Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people has been arrested in Pakistan, senior Indonesian and Pakistani officials said.

A Pakistani security official said that Umar Patek has been arrested by Pakistani security agencies, but would not say when and where he was arrested.

“Yes it is confirmed we have arrested him, he is in Pakistan,” the official said.

He said that Patek’s links to any militant group in Pakistan are being investigated.

Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd, speaking on the sidelines of a conference in Bali, confirmed Patek had been arrested.

Almost 90 Australians were killed in the Bali bombings.

“For us it is clear that Patek has been arrested. Furthermore, it is our view that Patek’s arrest is potentially a major step forward in the fight against terrorism,” Rudd said.

“His arrest might offer some small comfort to the nearly 100 Australian families who lost loved ones in the Bali bombings way back in 2002,” Rudd added.

Rudd said Patek was one of the last alleged Bali bombers still at large and Canberra would be “in the closest liaison” with Pakistan and Indonesia over “what happens next in this particular case”.

One of the most wanted Islamic extremists in Southeast Asia, Patek has a $1 million (€707,242) bounty on his head under the US government’s Rewards for Justice programme.