'CIA tip-off led to the arrest of Bali bombing suspect'

Pakistan security officials say the arrest was a "solely Pakistani operation".

ISLAMABAD: A report has quoted Pakistani security officials as saying that a tip-off from the CIA led to the arrest of the Indonesian suspect in the 2002 bombing of Bali nightclub.

Pakistan security officials confirmed the capture and stressed that the arrest was a "solely Pakistani operation", adding however that the the CIA had tipped them off that he may be travelling in Pakistan.

It is not clear, however, whether the Americans will get access to the militant.

The officials did not say where or when Umar Patek who is claimed to be a commander of  al Qaeda’s affiliate Jemaah Islamiyah was detained.

"I can confirm the arrest of an individual, who could be the Bali bombing suspect," foreign ministry spokeswoman Tehmina Janjua told a press briefing in Islamabad on Thursday, adding that "consular access will be given to the Indonesian mission and it will be for them to determine who exactly the person is".

A US official familiar with the operation confirmed that the CIA worked with foreign intelligence agencies to capture Patek.

On Wednesday, Indonesian officials confirmed that an alleged extremist  believed to be one of the masterminds behind the 2002 Bali bombings had been arrested in Pakistan.

Indonesia’s counter-terrorism police have been tracking Patek for years. He has a $1.0 million bounty on his head under the US government’s “Rewards for Justice” programme.