Indonesian terror suspect Riduan Islamuddin or Hambali, who was recently arrested in Thailand, has revealed that Al Qaeda had financed last year's deadly Bali nightclub bombings, according to investigators.
From rediff.com archives: Blast in Indonesia kills over 180
Hambali, who is being interrogated at the joint British-American air base in Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia, said an initial Al Qaeda outlay of $ 30,000 was used to fund the Bali bombings that left 202 dead, media reports quoted American intelligence officials as saying.
"Al Qaeda was highly satisfied with the Bali bombing and as a result provided additional money," Hambali said, according to an interrogation report published by the Time magazine.
Of the $ 45,000 allocated to Jemaah Islamiah in Indonesia, Hambali said, $ 15,000 were earmarked to support the families of the jailed Bali plotters.
The remaining $ 30,000 were to be used for terrorist attacks. Hambali speculated that some of it was spent on the August attack on the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta that killed 12 people.
On the other hand, the magazine says much of what Hambali says is corroborated by the confessions of two of his closest associates, Bashir bin Lap, also known as Lillie, and Mohammed Farik bin Amin.
The magazine says it has also obtained summaries of their interrogations.
