Police arrest the 'mastermind' of Bali bombings

Indonesian police claimed another breakthrough last night in the Bali bomb inquiry, arresting the alleged mastermind of the terrorist attack that killed nearly 200 people.

Imam Samudra, suspected of being a senior figure in a regional terrorist organisation, Jamaah Islamiya, was detained in the port of Merak, in western Java. He was caught on a bus that was about to board a ferry for Sumatra.

Police believe Mr Samudra, a 35-year-old engineer, chose the targets – two nightclubs frequented by Western tourists in Kuta Beach – and led the planning for the attack. Samudra, who is thought to have received explosives training in Afghanistan, is also suspected of helping to make the bombs that went off at the Sari Club and Paddy's Bar on 12 October.

His arrest followed the detention of Amrozi, a key member of the terrorist cell, who was picked up in east Java two weeks ago. Many Indonesians use only one name. Amrozi, a mechanic, has given police a wealth of information including names of other suspects and details of how the blasts were executed. He has admitted that he obtained the bomb-making materials and owned the van that was left outside the Sari Club, packed with explosives.

Mr Samudra, however, is a much bigger catch. Suspected of involvement in a string of church bombings across Indonesia in 2000, he was identified by police on Sunday as the mastermind of the Bali attack. He is believed to have been acting on the orders of Jamaah Islamiya's operations chief, Riduan Isamuddin, also known as Hambali. Police say he remained in Bali for four days afterwards, observing the investigation.

The Indonesian police chief, Da'i Bachtiar, said Mr Samudra had offered no resistance when arrested and was not carrying a weapon. He could provide valuable insights into the workings of Jamaah Islamiya, which has been linked with al-Qa'ida and is suspected of planning a series of attacks against Western interests across South-east Asia.

Mr Samudra taught at a religious school in southern Malaysia in the early 1990s that was run by Jamaah Islamiya's spiritual leader, Abu Bakar Bashir. Mr Bashir, a radical Indonesian cleric, is in custody suspected of involvement in the church bombings. However, he has not been named as a suspect in the Bali attack.

Amrozi is alleged to have met Mr Samudra and others in Bali six days before the bombing. Police are searching for seven other named suspects. Two people arrested in a village in Banten province yesterday were Mr Samudra's bodyguards, according to one television channel.

It was apparently the bodyguards who led police to their target, who had long been on a police wanted list because of the church bombings.

"We have been scouring Banten for months but we never revealed [this search]. Finally, he appeared and we caught him," Banten police chief Abdurrachman said.