Bali bomb 'mastermind' held

The suspected mastermind of the Bali bombings and "one of the world's most lethal terrorists" has been captured.

Intelligence officials said Riduan Isamuddin, known as Hambali, was seized after an operation in southeast Asia.

According to reports, he was initially detained in Thailand and has now been flown to an unknown destination on board a US plane.

President George Bush said: "He is a known killer and a close associate of September 11 mastermind Khaled Sheikh Mohammed. He is no longer a problem to those of us who love freedom."

A US official called Isamuddin "one of the world's most lethal terrorists,"-saying his group, Jemaah Islamiyah, was also linked to a series of church bombings in the Philippines.

The White House added that his capture was an "important victory" in the global war against terrorism and a "blow to the enemy".

The arrest was today welcomed by a British businessman whose whose brother was killed in the bomb blast. However, Tobias Ellwood, whose brother, Jonathan, 38, was among the 26 Britons killed, said Isamuddin should not be "tucked away" at Guantanamo Bay.

He said the alleged mastermind of the plot should be tried in an international court.

Mr Ellwood, from Bournemouth, added: "Until the masterminds running al Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah are captured, then bombs such as in Bali and Jakarta will continue to threaten stability and peace in south-east Asia."

In the past, terrorist suspects have been taken to bases in Afghanistan, Guam, or to Cuba's Guantanamo Bay for interrogation. A White House spokesman refused to give details of the arrest.

The 36- year- old scholar is believed to be a leading al Qaeda representative in south-east Asia and was arrested after an operation involving authorities from several countries.