Indonesia arrested the spiritual leader of a militant Islamic group suspected in last week's Bali nightclub bombings and blamed the attack on al-Qaeda and its allies in Southeast Asia.

Defence Minister Matori Abdul Djalil stated in the most specific claim yet by Indonesian authorities that the cleric, Abu Bakar Bashir, was linked to al-Qaeda and that his right-hand man, known as Hambali, was behind many of the country's terrorist bombings.

Matori stopped short of accusing Bashir of organising the Bali attacks, but said that it was logical to believe that Hambali, whose real name is Riduan Isamuddin, helped orchestrate them and that Bashir knew about them.

The two men are accused of being leaders of Jemaah Islamiah, believed to be al-Qaeda's biggest ally in Southeast Asia.

©2002

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