Mastermind of Bali bombings Abu Bakar Bashir arrested

The Indonesian cleric behind the Bali bomb attacks that killed 202 people was arrested today over links to a terrorist training camp.

Abu Bakar Bashir, who has been arrested twice before and spent several years in jail, arrived at police headquarters in Jakarta under tight security.

"The United States is behind this," shouted the bearded cleric, wearing his traditional white robe. "This arrest is a blessing — I will be rewarded by Allah!"

The 72-year-old cleric, one of the founders of Jemaah Islamiyah, the al Qaeda-linked group responsible for a string of suicide bombings in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, is alleged to have helped set up a camp to train Islamists to attack hotels in the capital.

The cell is also believed to have planned several assassinations, including that of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who said at the weekend that intelligence services had discovered another plot on his life.

Bashir served 30 months in jail for his alleged role in the 2002 Bali bombings before his conviction was overturned. After his release in 2006, he began calling for the creation of an Islamic state and inciting hatred of foreigners.

Bashir has formed a new radical group, Jemaah Ansharut Tauhid, or JAT, described by the Brussels-based International Crisis Group as an "ostensibly above-ground organisation" that embraced individuals with known ties to fugitive extremists.

In May three JAT members were arrested for allegedly raising funds for a group calling itself al Qaeda in Aceh.

Under Indonesia's anti-terror laws police can question Bashir for up to a week without filing charges.