I am not an al-Qaeda member

Abu Bakar Ba'asyir

The move comes in response to mounting allegations from Singapore and Malaysia that Mr Ba'asyir heads a regional network of Islamic extremists.

The network, called Jemaah Islamiyah, is accused of plotting to attack American targets in Singapore.

Mr Ba'asyir and his lawyers have already strongly denied all the allegations, saying they have been whipped up by the media without any evidence.

He repeated that denial on Thursday but praised Osama Bin Laden for as he put it fighting for Muslim rights against the arrogance of the United States.

He made no comment to reporters on Friday.

Al-Qaeda links

The Singaporean authorities said on Thursday they had found new evidence establishing a direct link between 13 suspects arrested last month and the al-Qaeda terrorist network.

They say a videotape found in a suspect's home contains footage identical to that found in the rubble of an al-Qaeda leader's home in Afghanistan.

The tape showed a subway station in Singapore, apparently a possible target for a bomb attack.

Slow to respond

Chief Security Minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said this week Indonesian authorities were doing all they could to investigate alleged domestic links with al-Qaeda.

The BBC's correspondent in Jakarta, Richard Galpin, says it has taken the Indonesian authorities several weeks to respond to the mounting international pressure to investigate Abu Bakar Ba'asyir.

So far the questioning of Mr Ba'asyir by Indonesian police has focused on his activities in Malaysia where he lived for 13 years from the mid-1980s.

A senior Indonesian policeman is reported to be planning to visit Malaysia on Saturday to check evidence against the cleric.

The Malaysian authorities have accused him of providing leadership to extremists there, with links to some of those responsible for the attacks on the United States on 11 September.