A Malaysian who allegedly had key roles in a series of deadly bombings in Indonesia narrowly escaped a police dragnet recently, Indonesia's president said in an interview published today.

Former university professor Azahari Husin has become the most wanted terrorist suspect in Indonesia, accused of building the bombs used in the worst extremist attacks in the country in recent years.

These attacks include the October 2002 Bali bombings, which killed 202 people, the Jakarta Marriott hotel attacks in 2003 in which 12 people died, and last year's strike on the Australian embassy which left 10 people dead.

"I have always kept track and the police chief from time to time informs me about the development (of the hunt). I was told (he) was almost caught but slipped away," President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said in an interview with the Koran Tempo daily.

Yudhoyono said he had told police to intensify their hunt for Azahari and his Malaysian associate, alleged chief recruiter Noordin Mohammed Top.

The president, who was sworn into office last October, has made arresting the pair among his top priorities in his first 100 days in office, but the deadline has passed and the two remain at large.

Police said they were also close to catching Azahari and Noordin in late 2003. Officers said they had trouble recognizing them because they frequently changed their appearances, sometimes disguising themselves as beggars or professors.