Jakarta – An Indonesian army deserter who has been arrested for allegedly masterminding a bombing campaign in the capital may have had connections with an international terrorist network.

Ramli, a 41-year-old Indonesian from the war-torn province of Aceh, was arrested on Tuesday in an East Jakarta house for allegedly planning the blasts at the Jakarta Stock Exchange, a disco and two malls since 2000, police spokesman Colonel Anton Bachrul Alam said yesterday. The blasts killed 15 and injured dozens.

"He is the mastermind of the bombings," Col Anton said. "However, we cannot say the bomb blasts will end, since there are still fugitives on the run." He admitted that the police had not yet found a motive for the blasts but could not rule out that Ramli was linked either to Acehnese separatists or Muslim militants.

National police chief General Da'i Bachtiar said Ramli may have had international links, but the general did not name any particular network. The suspect had travelled overseas, he noted, adding that Ramli had just returned from Thailand.

Gen Bachtiar also said that Ramli was supported by a large amount of funds, based on his bank account. "I am confident that Ramli had a dominant role in arranging a series of explosions in Jakarta in the past," the general was quoted as saying by Detik.com online news service.

Ramli – a former army private – told the police that he had planted the bombs on orders from other people as part of a business dispute. Col Anton said that he denied that it had anything to do with politics or the war in Aceh.

A spate of unexplained blasts rocked Indonesia after former president Abdurrahman Wahid took office in 1999.