HONG KONG - The arrest of Hambali was greeted with elation and relief in Asia and the United States, with US President George W Bush hailing the capture of "one of the world's most lethal terrorists".

"He is a known killer," Bush said after the announcement Hambali was in US custody. "He is a close associate of Sept 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. He is one of the world's most lethal terrorists."

Asia-Pacific leaders were similarly satisfied with the arrest of Asia's most wanted man, accused of heading up the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) terror network behind the bombings on the Indonesian island of Bali.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard called him "the ultimate mastermind" of the October 2002 Bali attack that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.

Evil man

"There should be universal relief and pleasure that a man as evil as Hambali has been caught," Howard told reporters at a Pacific Islands Forum in Auckland.

"We have caught the ultimate mastermind and that is very good news," he said, referring to the Bali bombing.

"This is a huge breakthrough. This man is a very big fish," Howard continued. "He is the main link between al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiah."

Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer also hailed the arrest of Hambali, who he described as "brutally dangerous" and "the Osama bin Laden of East Asia."

Hambali, born Riduan Isamuddin, has been described as the overall leader of JI, which has also been blamed for the car bombing of the JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta this month which left 12 dead.

Justice in Jakarta

Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda welcomed news of the arrest and confirmed that Hambali was in US custody. He said he expected him to be handed over to Jakarta in due course to face justice.

"We welcome the arrest of Hambali as one of the international terrorist leaders," Wirayuda said. "The arrest strengthens mutual efforts to attack terrorism."

Authorities in the Philippines also hailed his arrest and said that Hambali would stand trial in Manila for terror attacks, even if they have to stand in line to do so.

"The capture of Hambali is a big blow to Jemaah Islamiah and the world terrorist network. He is considered one of the region's deadliest terrorists," President Gloria Arroyo's National Security Adviser Roilo Golez said.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Blas Ople said that Hambali, who is also wanted in Malaysia and Singapore for a series of bomb attacks, should stand trial in the Philippines for a series of bombings in December 2000 that killed 22 people.

"We will be coordinating with all authorities concerned to ensure that Hambali is made to pay for his crimes," Ople said.

"We are interested in subjecting him to Philippine justice but we will wait our turn if necessary."

Significant progress

Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi late Friday also called Hambali's arrest a "big success" for the region's campaign against terror.

Meanwhile, Singapore's top security minister warned that while Hambali's arrest marked "significant progress" in the war against terrorism, the war had not ended and the island state remained "high on the list of countries which face a potential terrorist attack."

"The war against terrorism is an ongoing one, it will be comprehensive, it will be prolonged, it will consume considerable resources, both financial and manpower," Coordinating Minister for Security and Defence Tony Tan told reporters.

China also welcomed the capture and said it supported "resolute efforts" against terrorism.

"We support resolute efforts by Indonesia and other countries in the region to control terrorist forces," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is visiting Sri Lanka, said the arrest involved the cooperation of many countries and was sparked by a tip-off from residents living in the Thai town of Ayuthaya who reported that strangers were living in the area.

"Intelligence officials then found that he was the one who the whole world was looking for," he said. - AFP