Indonesia’s counter-terrorism squad has arrested Abu Rusdan, a suspected leader of the Al Qaeda-linked group Jemaah Islamiah, which has been blamed for a string of past attacks, including the 2002 Bali bombings.

The convicted militant was seized late on Friday in Bekasi, near the capital of Jakarta, along with three other suspected members of Jemaah Islamiah, police spokesman Ahmad Ramadhan said on Monday.

Indonesian authorities consider Rusdan to be a key figure in Jemaah Islamiah, which the US and UN have designated a terrorist group. 

The shadowy South-East Asian network is widely blamed for attacks in the Philippines and Indonesia — including the bombings in Bali that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.

Mr Ramadhan described the arrests as part of a broader nationwide crackdown on the group. 

Police are still searching for other suspected members, following tips the group is recruiting and training new members in Indonesia.

Who is Abu Rusdan?

Born in Central Java, Rusdan, 61, was sentenced to jail in 2003 for sheltering Ali Ghufron, a militant who was later convicted and executed for carrying out the Bali bombings.

After his release from prison in 2006, Rusdan travelled Indonesia giving speeches and fiery sermons that received tens of thousands of views on YouTube. 

In one recorded sermon, he praised as the “land of jihad” Afghanistan — the country where he had previously trained with other militant groups.

Indonesia’s police counter-terrorism unit, known as Densus 88, has swept up 53 alleged members of Jemaah Islamiah in the past weeks, across 11 different provinces.

An Indonesian court banned the group in 2008 and a sustained crackdown by the country’s security forces, with support from the US and Australia, has helped to weaken the militant network.

Counter-terrorism crackdown

A spokesman for Indonesia’s National Intelligence Agency, Wawan Hari Purwanto, said in a video statement early this month that following the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, officials had stepped up their efforts at early detection and prevention “particularly toward terrorist groups that have links to the Taliban’s ideology and networks”.

Indonesia’s counter-terrorism crackdown has been ongoing for months already.

In the past year, Indonesian officials say counter-terrorism forces have captured dozens of militants and suspected members of the Jemaah Islamiah, including its alleged military leader, Zulkarnaen, who had been wanted for more than 18 years.

Militant attacks on foreigners in Indonesia have been largely replaced in recent years by smaller, less deadly strikes targeting the government, mainly police and security forces, inspired by Islamic State tactics abroad.

AP