Indonesia police say militant was making powerful bombs

Jakarta: The Indonesian police say a suspected Islamic militant arrested earlier this week was making explosives more powerful than those used in the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people.

National Police spokesman Rikwanto said Saturday that the 23-year-old Rio Priatna Wibawa is believed to be linked to Bahrun Naim, an Indonesian militant fighting with the Islamic State group in Syria who has tried to orchestrate attacks at home.

Rikwanto, who goes by one name, said bomb-making explosives were recovered from a laboratory in Wibawa's home in West Java province. They could create bombs three times as powerful as the Bali bombs.

He said Wibawa, a drop out from an agricultural university, received funds from radicalised Indonesians working in Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and Taiwan, and was working under the direction of Naim.