Police are still conducting checks to verify whether the man is Iman Sumudra. He was one of six men whose sketches and photographs were released by investigators over the weekend.

The man was arrested in Java as he was about to board a ship headed for the island of Sumatra, a police spokesman told CNN.

Two other men were taken into custody with him. Police said they do not believe they were involved in the Bali bombing, but were trying to aid Samudra in his escape.

Police said they learned Samudra was planning to flee from one of his bodyguards, who was arrested Tuesday.

A seventh suspect, named only as Amrozi, is already in custody in connection with the blasts.

According to a suspect arrest earlier, Sumudra formulated the plan, chose the location, decided where the bombs should be placed and in what order they should go off to maximize casualties. He also came up with the financing.

Samudra is believed to be a key member of Jemaah islamiyah, an Islamic militant group with ties to al Qaeda. It is not known whether he initiated the idea for the attack or did it at the direction of someone else.

The Bali nightclub attack killed nearly 200 people, mostly tourists holidaying on the resort town of Kuta, many of them Australians.

(People's Daily November 22, 2002)