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Hambali brother caught in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Pakistani authorities have arrested the younger brother of the suspected al Qaeda point man in Southeast Asia, known as Hambali. Rusman Gunawan was among 17 people arrested in raids on three Islamic schools in the port city of Karachi on Saturday. While the group were wanted on suspicion of terrorism, Pakistani officials said Monday they overstayed their visas and are being held on immigration charges. The 17 people from Malaysia, Indonesia and Myanmar are suspected to have ties with Muslim militants and were involved in activities damaging to Pakistan's interests, officials added. Gunawan's older brother, Riduan Isamuddin, is commonly known as Hambali and was Southeast Asia's most wanted man. He was arrested in Thailand last month and handed over to the CIA. His whereabouts have not been disclosed. Police say Hambali heads the al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah terror group. He is accused of planning last year's Bali bombings and a bombing at a Jakarta hotel last month, and was wanted by at least half a dozen nations. Hambali, a 38-year-old Afghan war veteran, has also been linked to the September 11 attacks on America and the bombing of the USS Cole. It is not yet clear whether Gunawan, an Indonesian national, is involved with his older brother's activities. In Jakarta, police said they had no evidence of wrongdoing against Gunawan and would not seek his extradition, Zainuri Lubis, a police spokesman told The Associated Press. Indonesia's SCTV reported Gunawan came to Pakistan in 1999 to study at Karachi's Abu Bakar University on a scholarship given by the Pakistani government. Before that, he sold vegetables at a village market. Copyright 2003 CNN. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
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