Australia Warns Of Backlash in Indonesia Over Patek Arrest

Australia Warns Of Backlash in Indonesia Over Patek Arrest

Australia warned on Friday that the arrest in Pakistan of an alleged mastermind of the 2002 Bali bombings could spark revenge attacks against Westerners in Indonesia and cautioned nationals against going there.

Officials had announced on Wednesday that a man thought to be Umar Patek, one of the most wanted Islamic extremists in Southeast Asia, was in Pakistani custody.

Patek, who had a $1 million bounty on his head, was the alleged field coordinator for the Bali nightclub attacks that killed more than 200 people, almost 90 of them Australians.

In an updated advisory, Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said on its Web site that Australians should reconsider travel to Indonesia, particularly Bali.

“Information in March 2011 indicates that terrorists may be planning attacks in Indonesia, which could take place at any time,” it said, without specifying what the new information was or where it came from.

But the travel advice alluded to Patek’s arrest, which it said could “increase the risk of violent responses in Indonesia in the short term.”

“On some occasions where high-profile extremists have been detained or killed, there has been a strong response from some supporters in Indonesia, including acts of violence,” it said.

“We consider that any terrorist attacks are more likely to focus on places where large numbers of Westerners gather,” it added.

But Insp. Gen. Anton Bachrul Alam, a spokesman for the National Police, said on Friday that there were no indications so far that there would be a terrorist attack in the country.

“Still, we will remain alert for any possibilities,” he said.

Comr. Gen. Ito Sumardi, the police chief of detectives, said officials were unable to confirm if the man arrested in Pakistan was in fact Patek, pending a DNA test and fingerprint verification.

In 2006, Patek was erroneously reported killed in the Philippines, where he was believed to be hiding.

“To avoid such uncertainty, we should conduct a DNA test. Whatever the result is, it could be used as evidence before the law,” an antiterror official told the Jakarta Globe. In Islamabad, a Pakistani source told Reuters that Patek would be extradited to Indonesia if his identity was confirmed.

“We are going to hand him over to Indonesian authorities,” the source said.

A spokeswoman for Pakistan’s foreign ministry, Tehmina Janjua, confirmed the arrest of an Indonesian man and said he could be Patek.

“Consular access will be given to the Indonesian mission and it will be for them to determine exactly who the person is,” Janjua said. “But, yes, a person has been arrested.”

Security analysts say Patek is one of the few militants who would be able to explain to authorities the connections and extent of cooperation between Islamist militant groups in Asia.

In Jakarta, Justice Minister Patrialis Akbar said the state hoped Pakistan would extradite Patek despite the absence of a treaty between the two countries that would allow such a move.

“We want Patek for [the] law enforcement process [to proceed],” he said, adding that the alleged bomber should be investigated for his possible involvement in various terrorism cases in the country.



With additional reporting from Farouk Arnaz & Made Arya Kencana