Extradition

Alleged bomb-maker Umar Patek, who was wanted by the US, Indonesia, the Philippines and Australia, was arrested last January by the Pakistani authorities. He was in hiding in Abbottabad, where al Qaeda head Osama bin Laden was killed in a secret US Navy Seals raid in May.

Indonesian Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said previously that there was information Patek tried to meet the al Qaeda leader before his arrest, but this has not been confirmed.

Patek's extradition to Indonesia had been expected, with Pakistani officials saying it was up to Jakarta to make a sign. On arriving back in his home country Thursday, Patek was immediately brought to a detention center just south of the capital.

"We will interrogate him and also we will bring him to court and charge him," the head of Indonesia's counter-terrorism agency Ansyaad Mbai told Reuters on Thursday.

"We still have to investigate further but it's likely he will be charged over the Christmas bombings and the Bali bombings, as well as others," he added.

Bali attacks and Christmas Eve church bombings

In October 2002, Islamist militants who belonged to the Southeast Asian terrorist network Jemaah Islamiah bombed two nightclubs on the Indonesian resort island of Bali. Most of the 202 people killed were foreign tourists.

Three of the key players - Imam Samudra, Mukhlas bin Nur Haysim and his brother Amrozi - were sentenced to death and subsequently executed in 2008. Others are still in jail. The spiritual leader behind the Bali bombings, Abu Bakar Bashir, was sentenced to 15 years in jail in June.

Abu Bakar Bashir has also been implicated in a series of attacks that ripped through Indonesia on Christmas Eve, 2000. At least 18 people were killed and dozens injured in several coordinated church bombings in Jakarta and eight other cities.

Security analysts believe Omar Patek, who is said to have confessed to involvement in both attacks, is one of the few Indonesian militants who can help explain the connections and extent of cooperation between different Islamist militant groups in Asia.

Some observers have expressed concern that Patek will be able to impart his bomb-making skills to other prisoners if he is jailed in Indonesia. Ansyaad Bhai even said his presence in his home country might inspire militants to launch other attacks.

Earlier this year, Australia also warned that Patek's arrest could spark revenge attacks against Westerners in Indonesia.

Author: Anne Thomas (dpa, Reuters)
Editor: Sachin Gaur