Rudd welcomes Umar Patek's arrest

Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Kevin Rudd welcomed on Wednesday the arrest of Umar Patek, one of Indonesia's most-wanted terrorist fugitives, although no Indonesian official could confirm the arrest.

"It was clear that Umar Patek had been arrested. The arrest is potentially a major step forward in fighting terrorism," Rudd said in Nusa Dua, Bali, during the Bali Process IV conference.

"It might offer some comfort to around 100 Australian families who lost their loved ones in the 2002 Bali bombing. Of course, the arrest will not bring anyone of the victims back," he added.

Umar Patek is one of the alleged masterminds of the bombing in Bali that killed 202 people, including more than 80 Australians.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, however, said he could not confirm the arrest. "We have been indeed pursuing Umar Patek. But our interesst extends beyond the arrest - namely, the disruption of the terrorist networks that Umar Patek has been involved in.

"His arrest has been subject to separate governments. We are working on cooperation with related countries, including Pakistan, in a search for the best solution, to talk on the possibility of extradition" Marty said.

"By intensifying cooperation, the room for those networks can be narrowed so that prominent figure like Umar Patek can be caught," he said.