Indonesian police may have militant Top surrounded-media

JAKARTA, Apr 29 (Reuters) Indonesian police were involved in a shootout in Central Java today and local media said they may have surrounded the hideout of one of Asia's most wanted militants, Noordin M Top.

A police source who declined to be identified said police had exchanged fire with terrorism suspects in the town of Wonosobo, but he declined to comment on the reports about Top, a Malaysian national wanted over a string of bombing attacks in Indonesia.

''We opened fire and we have captured one and two were killed,'' he told Reuters, adding that police had yet to enter the premises where the suspects were hiding.

Without citing a source, state news agency Antara said one of the suspects was believed to be Top, a leading figure in the al aeda-linked Southeast Asian network Jemaah Islamiah.

The network is blamed for the Bali bombings in October 2002 that killed 202 people and a series of other attacks.

REUTERS SHB BST0910