Terror suspect 'was planning summit attack'

Terror suspect Hambali was plotting an attack on an upcoming Asia-Pacific summit in Thailand to be attended by US President George W. Bush, it was disclosed today.

News of the planned attack came after Hambali – named as Asia’s most wanted - after investigations following his arrest earlier this week.

“The result of investigations show that Hambali came to Thailand not only to seek a safe haven but he also planned to make a terrorist attack during the APEC meeting,” said Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. He refused to elaborate.

Bangkok will host the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit between October 21-22, which will bring together 21 regional leaders, including Bush.

Hambali, an Indonesian whose real name s Riduan Isamuddin, was arrested on Monday night in the ancient Thai temple city of Ayutthaya. He was handed over to US authorities on Wednesday and flown out of the country. His whereabouts remain unknown.

Three of his associates were arrested earlier, which led to Hambali’s capture, Thaksin said in a radio speech to the nation earlier today.

The trail to Hambali was exposed by an “irregular money transaction” noticed by investigators, Thaksin said.

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,” he said.

“Finally, we have got them all,” he said.

Hambali, 39, is reputed to be the chief operative of the al Qaida-linked terrorist group, Jemaah Islamiyah, which originated in Indonesia.

Thaksin did not identify the three associates arrested earlier but one of them was believed to be Zubair Mohamad, a Malaysian reportedly in Thai custody.

A Malaysian and Thai newspaper claimed that Zubair provided information which led to Hambali’s arrest.

Quoting unidentified sources, the Malay Mail said Zubair knew the whereabouts of Hambali and had “revealed all” shortly after he was arrested by US and Thai authorities.

The Nation of Thailand quoted Thai intelligence sources as saying that Zubair was arrested in southern Thailand in late July following a tip-off by Singaporean security agents.

Zubair is believed to have been instrumental in Jemaah Islamiyah’s financial dealings, the Nation said. Malaysian and Thai officials were not immediately available for comment.

On Friday, a Thai military source said Thailand expects to get a four million US dollar reward (£3m) for Hambali’s capture but this could not be immediately confirmed.

Hambali is suspected of orchestrating the Bali nightclub blasts that killed 202 people; the J.W. Marriott Hotel bombing in Jakarta earlier this month in which 12 people died, and a spate of deadly explosions in the Philippines and terror plots elsewhere. He is also suspected of links to the September 11 attackers.

Hambali, said to be Osama bin Laden’s point man in the region, is also wanted in Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines.

Hambali is believed to have entered the country with a fake Spanish passport from neighbouring Laos through a land border crossing, local newspapers reported.

Thaksin said he has instructed immigration officials at border crossings to be more vigilant in checking for fake passports.

A top al Qaida detainee has told US interrogators of Hambali’s assignment to find more suicide hijackers not long after the September 11 attacks, a senior Bush administration official said.