Police to check Hambali's identity

Police to check Hambali's identity

STABAT, North Sumatra: Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said he
would soon check the citizenship of Hambali, the alleged terror
suspect.

Da'i made the statement after inaugurating a police station in
Langkat district on Sunday.

A Thai official has claimed that Hambali had actually acquired
Spanish nationality.

Riduan Isamuddin alias Hambali was arrested in an apartment
building in the ancient Thai temple city of Ayutthaya last week.

He is reportedly being held in US government custody for
further questioning.

Da'i further said he would also meet US Ambassador to
Indonesia Ralph Boyce to discuss Hambali's arrest and custody.

"We will push for him to be questioned in Indonesia. But we
have yet to know what his nationality is; whether the document he
uses is official or fake," he added.

Hambali is wanted by several countries over his alleged
involvement in bomb attacks, including in Indonesia, the United
States, and the Philippines.

The US government has accused Hambali of being the operational
chief of the so-called Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), a group allegedly
linked to al-Qaeda.

He has also been blamed for the Oct. 12, 2002 bomb blasts in
Bali, which killed more than 200 people and injured over 300
others. -- Antara