Free Republic

BALI bomber Umar Patek was seeking a meeting with Osama bin Laden when he was arrested a few kilometres from the al-Qa'ida chief's hideout. The arrest in Abbottabad of Patek, the last major figure who was still at large for the 2002 Bali attacks that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians, has raised a critical question: did Patek give vital information to the mission to kill bin Laden, or did his arrest by Pakistani intelligence risk upsetting the American operation? Patek was arrested on January 25, nine days after stopping in the mountain garrison town on his way to meet...

Armed Forces chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. on Thursday confirmed reports that a Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) operative wanted for the 2002 deadly bombing in Bali, Indonesia was injured in an encounter with Army troops last August 9 in Sulu province. Esperon said the military has received reliable information confirming that Indonesian terror suspect Dulmatin sustained injuries after fighting alongside Abu Sayyaf members against government troops in Maimbung town. Aside from Dulmatin, the military also believes that Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Doc Abu was wounded while his son was killed in the encounter. Dulmatin is a 32-year-old Indonesian electronics expert suspected...

ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (AFP): Indonesian Islamic militant Dulmatin, who has a US$10 million bounty on his head, is hiding out in the Philippines, a spokesman of the main Muslim separatist group here said Friday. Dulmatin, an al-Qaeda trained electronics expert thought to be one of the masterminds of the 2002 Bali bombings, is in Mindanao, said Eid Kabalu from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). He said Dulmatin was with the senior leader of militant group Abu Sayyaf, Khadaffy Janjalani, as well as another alleged member of Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), Umar Patek. The U.S. reward announced Thursday for information that...