Jakarta – An Indonesian member of the Islamic extremist group Jemaah Islamiyah said in an interview broadcast Thursday that its members were in disarray after the arrests of two of its top leaders this month, but warned they may have become more dangerous.

"We are all confused and awaiting further instructions from the leadership," the unnamed member based in East Java, who said he had joined the organisation at its inception, told a reporter from the English-language Al-Jazeera TV channel.

"The arrests last week have made me very sad because they are like brothers to me," he said in translated comments. "The situation could become more dangerous now because some members will be getting impatient without clear instructions from the top."

The head of JI since 2004, Zarkasi, and the leader of its military wing, Abu Dujana, were arrested by anti-terror police on June 9 along with six other suspected militants. All are still being interrogated police in a bid to identify other suspects.

JI has been blamed for a string of deadly bomb attacks against western targets on the resort island of Bali and in the capital Jakarta in recent years, including the 2002 Bali bombings which killed 202 people.

The capture of Dujana and Zarkasi have been seen as a severe blow to JI, which wants a pan-Islamic state across much of Southeast Asia, but analysts have warned the group has the capacity to eventually bounce back.

Still on the run is Malaysian Noordin Top, accused of having a hand in all the major bombings, whom Dujana said went against his wishes to launch the bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta in 2003, but has nonetheless enjoyed JI protection. Dujana has told police that he would not surrender him.

International Crisis Group Southeast Asian director Sidney Jones said in a column in the English-language Tempo weekly magazine that if Noordin's chief protector was in custody, "the Malaysian or those around him may decide they have nothing to lose from another attack, even if they do not have the personnel or equipment to undertake a Bali-style bombing."

She warned that even Noordin's arrest would not eliminate the threat. "We know... that some younger JI members have grown frustrated with the cautiousness and inaction of their seniors and the emergence of other splinter groups is not impossible."