Cash transaction 'led to arrest of Hambali'

Thailand's prime minister has told how a suspicious cash transaction led to the arrest of Asia's most wanted man, terror suspect Hambali.

The trail to Hambali, said to have masterminded last year's Bali bombing, was exposed by an irregular money transaction noticed by investigators, Thaksin Shinawatra said in a radio address to the nation.

This "resulted in the arrest of the first case, the second, the third, and now we have got the fourth man - Mr Hambali - who is regarded as the last one in our land," Thaksin said. "Finally we have got them all."

Hambali, 39, an Indonesian whose real name is Riduan Isamuddin, was captured on Monday in Ayutthaya, 50 miles north of Bangkok. He is reputed to be the chief operative of the al Qaida-linked terrorist group, Jemaah Islamiyah, which originated in Indonesia.

Military sources say he was handed over to US investigators and flown out of the country on Wednesday.

Thaksin refused to provide details about Hambali's whereabouts or the manner in which he was arrested, saying it could jeopardise investigations. Thaksin said the arrest of Hambali and three associates, also foreigners, was helped by information from other countries.

Hambali is suspected of orchestrating the October 12 Bali nightclub blasts that killed 202 people, including 26 Britons, and the JW Marriott Hotel bombing in Jakarta on August 5 in which 12 people died. He is also suspected of links to the September 11 attackers.

Hambali, believed to be Osama bin Laden's point man in the region, is also wanted in Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines. He is reportedly believed to have entered the country with a fake Spanish passport.

Thaksin said he had instructed immigration officials at land border crossings to be more vigilant in checking for fake passports. He also assured Thailand's Muslim minority that it should not feel threatened because of Hambali's arrest.