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Suspect accused of Bali bombing 'flees Indonesia'
Southeast Asia's most wanted terror suspect, Noordin Top, may have evaded a massive manhunt and fled Indonesia, according to police documents obtained by The Associated Press.
- AP
- Published: 10:18 May 19, 2008
Jakarta: Southeast Asia's most wanted terror suspect, Noordin Top, may have evaded a massive manhunt and fled Indonesia, according to police documents obtained by The Associated Press.
A militant who was arrested and extradited to Indonesia told police that an Algerian who helped him escape from the country also said that Top had managed to flee, according to the police interrogation documents.
A senior anti-terror officer said on Monday that police were still "crosschecking" the information with other sources.
Top is accused of directing the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings and three other attacks on Western targets in Indonesia that have together killed more than 240 people, most of them foreign tourists.
If confirmed, Top's escape would be a blow to Indonesia, which has been praised for its successes in the fight against terrorism. It would also raise worrying questions about Top's current location and future plans.
Top, a Malaysian national, has been on the run since the 2002. Police have arrested several of his aides or couriers and often claimed to be close to catching him, but over the last 18 months the trail has apparently gone cold.
The claim that he has fled is contained in police investigation reports into two senior Indonesian members of the Jemaah Islamiyah militant network who fled the country on a mission to link up with terrorist groups in the Middle East. They were arrested en route in Malaysia and extradited to Indonesia in late March.
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