Six Muslim militants thought to have played a role in the bombings of two nightclubs on the resort island of Bali and the J.W. Marriott hotel in Jakarta have been arrested in Indonesia, police said Thursday. National Police Chief Gen. Dai Bachtiar would not release their names but insisted they all played a central role in the attacks. He did not say if they were members of the al Qaeda-linked regional terror group Jemaah Islamiyah, which is widely believed responsible for the bombings. "Clearly, they planned and were involved in the Bali and Marriott bombings," Bachtiar said.
The six suspects were arrested in a house in Sukoharjo, some 240 miles east of Jakarta, said another police official, who refused to be named. Bachtiar said he was hopeful that the arrests could lead police to the country’s most wanted fugitives — Malaysian terror suspects Azahari bin Husin and Noordin Mohammed. In the past two weeks, authorities have stepped up their search for Azahari and Noordin. Both men are members of Jemaah Islamiyah and are believed to be on the run in Indonesia. They narrowly escaped capture in November when police raided a house they were renting in Bandung, about 110 miles west of Jakarta. Authorities have warned that the two are armed with explosives and plan fresh attacks ahead of Indonesia’s presidential elections on Monday. |