Indonesia says it has arrested a man alleged to be the leader of the al-Qaida-linked Jemaah Islamiyah network involved in the 2002 bombing in Bali that killed 202 - mostly foreign tourists.

Aris Sumarsono, also known as Zulkarnaen, was arrested late last week in an operation conducted by the country's counterterrorism police, information released Tuesday said.

Zulkarnaen, who has been wanted by police since 2003, was arrested at a house in the east Lampung district of Sumatra. National police representative Ahmad Ramadhan said Zulkarnaen surrendered without resistance after he was surrounded.

Zulkarnaen was a suspect in several bombings. He was linked to an attack in 2003 on the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Jakarta - which killed 12 people.

Ahmad said Zulkarnaen was among the first Indonesia militants sent to Afghanistan for training. He, along with accused Indonesia bomb maker Upik Lawanga - arrested by police last week - had been linked to several attacks.

The United Nations Security Council says Zulkarnaen is associated with Osama bin Laden and the Taliban. Zulkarnaen is believed to be al-Qaida's representative in Southeast Asia. He is one of a handful with direct contact to al-Qaida.

"He is in custody and being questioned by investigators," Ahmad said.

Police tracked Zulkarnaen after they questioned suspected militants arrested in November.

Authorities said Zulkarnaen was the leader of a squad of fighters known as the Laskar Khos. The group is estimated to have around 300 Indonesia members - most trained in Afghanistan and the Philippines.

Zulkarnaen reportedly took over the leadership for Jemaah Islamiya after the arrest of Encep Nurjaman in 2003.