POLICE CONFIRM NOORDIN'S FATHER IN LAW

Jakarta, Dec 24 (ANTARA) - Deputy Police spokesman Inspector General Sulistyo Ishak confirmed Thursday that the police had arrested Baridin, parent in law of Noordin M Top, the dead terrortist fugitive.

"There is truth in the information about Baridin. The police had caught him in Garut regency, West Java, on Thursday at 5 a.m local time," he said.

In the meantime, Police Chief Spokesman Inspector General Nanan Soekarno also confirmed the arrest, but told the press not to expose the news to the public, because the police was still after another fugitive. Baridin was the father of Noordin's wife Arina whom he married in Cilacap, Central Java, in 2006.

The police failed to catch Baridin in July 2009 during a raid of his home in Cilacap.

The police found explosives in Baridin's house garden.

Arina was once held by the police but later released for lack of evidence of envolvement in terrorist attacks.

Arina was given the opportunity to look at her dead husband at the police hospital in Jakarta.

On September 17, 2009, the police shot dead several terrorist suspects including Noordin, Susilo, Bagus Budi Pranoto and Ario Sudarso.

The police also arrested Susilo's wife Putri Munawaroh who later became terrorist suspect.