JAKARTA, Indonesia –Umar Patek, 40, a suspected member of the Al Qaeda-linked militant group Jemaah Islamiyah, was arrested in Pakistan, foreign intelligence sources said. Indonesian National Police say they will communicate with the Pakistani police to verify the reported arrest of Umar Patek, a senior Indonesian Al Qaeda operative wanted in the 2002 Bali bombings.Patek is a senior member of Jemaah Islamiya who is in the top 10 list of Philippines most wanted. The US, Australia, and Indonesia are also searching for him for so many years.
- The CIA tipped us off that he might be traveling here,” said Pakistani official after the arrest.
Umar Patek is believed to be the mind behind 2002 Bali, Indonesia bombing that killed 202 people including 38 Indonesians and 88 Australians. It also injured at least 240 innocent people who were close to the site when the bomb exploded.
According to Lieutenant General Ito Sumardi, Indonesian Police Detective Chief, Patek should have taken a commercial flight using different name and passport. International terrorists are known to have so many identities making them easier to blend with the rest of the people in public places.
Pakistani authorities have securely detained Patek but they have confirmed that the terrorist will be sent back to Indonesia where he would be tried and convicted.“It is our policy to send them back to their country of origin,” according to Pakistani military official.
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