Indonesia, galvanized by deadly bomb blasts in Bali, is set to question a militant Muslim cleric its neighbors and Western intelligence agencies say is a key player in regional terror, but an aide said he was sick and may not show up.
Late yesterday, top Indonesian officials were also expected to put the finishing touches to a new anti-terrorism decree making it easier to act against terror suspects.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard, speaking to reporters after visiting the bomb site in Kuta which is thought to have killed more than 100 of his compatriots, said he was pleased with the Indonesian response.
"I will say without equivocation we have put the view again, urgently and strongly, to the Indonesian government since last Saturday, that a much tougher approach to terrorism must be taken."
"This is a view that we have put to [Indonesia] over a long period of time and I'm very pleased with the responses since Saturday," he said.
In Bali, a team of 95 law enforcement personnel from seven countries are working on the investigation which is being jointly run by Indonesia and Australia and has been dubbed Operation Alliance, Australia's chief police investigator in the case said.
Federal agent Graham Ashton also said international police personnel would travel across the vast Indonesian archipelago, if need be, to conduct the probe.
"We are getting significant information in, we do have a view [on who is behind the blast], but we are not prepared to say," Ashton told a joint news conference with the Indonesian police.
Police said Abu Bakar Bashir, the cleric foreign intelligence officials believe is a leader in the al-Qaeda-linked regional Jemaah Islamiah network, had been summoned for questioning last Saturday but police and his lawyer said this was not over the Bali attack.
Bashir's lawyer Mahendradatta said police documents showed his client was a suspect in a bomb attack in 2000.
"I underline this has nothing to do with the Bali blast. There is no connection with the Bali bombing," he added.
Irfan Awwas, executive chairman of the Mujahidin Council Indonesia-MMI of which Bashir is spiritual leader, said Bashir was sick and had been taken by ambulance to a hospital in his home city of Solo.
"He has to go to Jakarta but it seems he cannot go," Awwas said. Photos showed Bashir on a stretcher with a breathing tube in his nose and a doctor said he would not be able to leave the hospital for at least two days.
Police spokesman Saleh Saaf said he would wait to see whether Bashir shows up as scheduled at 10am today before making a comment on what action police might take.
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