How Hambali was captured

He seemed a little different from most of the muslims around him.

"...Around 11 p.m. Monday, about a dozen undercover Thai agents burst into Apartment 601 at a building in a city north of Bangkok, surprising the slumbering Indonesian cleric and his wife, security officials said. Hambali had a handgun, but did not have time to shoot, they said.

"Aided by the CIA, authorities found him in Ayutthaya, a city about 45 miles north of the Thai capital, by tracking one of his phone calls while he was there. They were also tipped off by Muslim Thais in the community, who were wary of the foreigner who attended the local mosque and Internet cafe, but did not speak Thai.

"Hambali, a key leader of the Southeast Asian terrorist network Jemaah Islamiah, was the focus of a massive region-wide manhunt and is believed by officials to have played an important role in the bombings on the island of Bali last year that killed 202 people. In the past year he crossed the borders of Malaysia, Cambodia, Burma and Thailand, once eluding authorities by less than a day, officials said."

"...Hambali, whose real name is Nurjaman Riduan Isamuddin, had been on the run since at least December 2001, when Singapore cracked down on Islamic militants and arrested 15 suspects. In January 2002, Hambali entered Thailand from the southern border with Malaysia, intelligence officials said."

"...From September through March, he lived in a Muslim community in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, staying in a guesthouse popular with budget travelers, according to an adviser to Prime Minister Hun Sen. Authorities learned that Hambali had been there after they arrested three suspected Jemaah Islamiah members in May.

"Thai police believe Hambali entered Thailand again about two weeks ago, according to a security analyst in the region familiar with the investigation. He had left Malaysia, possibly traveling by boat to Burma and then heading overland to the Thai border, the analyst said.

"Using a false passport, he crossed into Mae Sai, Thailand, from a spot near the Laos-Burma border, where a short footbridge spans a narrow stream between the two countries, the analyst said. This border is less scrutinized than Thailand's southern border with Malaysia, where Thailand intensified security measures over the past year to prevent militants from entering."

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