The Muslim cleric and alleged terrorist leader summoned for questioning as part of a major crackdown on Islamic radicals following last Saturday's bombings in Bali has been rushed to hospital.
Abu Bakar Bashir, due to be questioned by police tomorrow, became weak during a press conference.
He is the spiritual leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah regional terror network, which is believed linked to al-Qaeda and suspected of a possible role in the bombing on the resort island.
It was not immediately clear whether the 64-year-old Bashir would go to Jakarta to be questioned.
After months of hesitation, the Indonesian authorities issued a summons last night that could send the 64-year-old religious leader to jail on charges of treason and organising bomb attacks in Indonesia.
The move to quiz Bashir came after intense pressure, largely from Western governments, for President Megawati Sukarnoputri to act firmly against terrorism. She is set to proclaim an emergency anti-terrorism decree later today allowing her government to detain suspects without trial and impose the death penalty on convicted terrorists.
So far four detained Indonesians have been intensively questioned as witnesses in the Bali bombing but are not classified as suspects.
Indonesian authorities have said both locals and foreigners were behind the terrorist attack but decline to provide specific details.
The bombing is being investigated by local police backed by officers from Australia, Britain, Germany, Japan and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.
AFP