Jakarta confirms the arrest in Pakistan of Umar Patek, mastermind of the Bali bombings
Umar Patek is a Javanese of Arab origin, originally from Pekalongan District in Central Java where he was born in 1970.
He is considered the mastermind behind the Bali bombings of 12 October 2002, when bombs exploded in two nightclubs killing 202 people, mostly foreign tourists, with the largest contingent from Australia. Hundreds more were wounded, some losing limbs.
On 1 October 2005, another, less lethal attack was carried out on the island of Bali with 23 dead and dozens of wounded.
Umar Patek led the first Bali attack. He is considered one of the leading figures in Jemaah Islamiyah and is thought to have established ties with Osama Bin Laden’s al Qaeda.
Since 2002, the United States, the Philippines, Indonesia and Australia have been trying to arrest him without success. In early March, reports appeared saying he had been arrested by Pakistani security forces, a fact that has now been, at least partially, confirmed.
Indonesia had offered a million dollar prize for any information that would lead to his capture.
The Indonesian terrorist, who is a bomb and explosive expert, is believed to have trained two top Islamic terrorists from Malaysia, Azahari bin Husin and Noordin Moh Top. The latter was killed during a police raid in Indonesia.
Patek has used various aliases, including Umar Kecil, Pak Taek, Abu Syekh, and Zacky.
It is also believed that he operated in southern Philippines for a long time, together with the fighters of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Abu Sayyaf terrorists.
Last Tuesday, Pakistani officials officially confirmed his arrest. “He was captured with his Indonesian wife during a gun battle with local Pakistani security,” General Sutanto said. Patek was wounded in the incident, which claimed the lives of several agents.
His arrest might shed some light on the links between the various international terrorist cells and the plot that led to the 2002 Bali bombings.
Investigators also want to see what relations, if any, exist with controversial Islamic leader Abu Bakar Baasyir.
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