Manila to help Jakarta prosecute Bali bomb suspect

Umar Patek. AP File Photo

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine officials say they will help Indonesia prosecute the key suspect in the 2002 Bali bombings. The pledge comes after Umar Patek was sent home under tight security after being arrested in the same Pakistani town where U.S. forces killed Osama bin Laden.

Philippine Anti-Terrorism Council chief Paquito Ochoa Jr. said Friday that Manila will provide Indonesian prosecutors with intelligence and evidence they’ve gathered through the years from when Patek was believed hiding in the Philippines.

Patek allegedly helped carry out the Bali bombings that killed 202 people in Indonesia. He is believed to have fled in 2003 to the southern Philippines, where he has been accused of plotting attacks and training Abu Sayyaf extremists for years.