The 39-year-old master bombmaker and Jemaah Islamiah veteran was a key figure in the Bali bombings that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.

He was the man whose twisted expertise with explosives was behind the horrific images from Paddy's Bar and the Sari Club that were seared on our nation's psyche in 2002.

The news is great not only for the damage it does to the terrorist movement in Indonesia.

It is also a positive sign of both the resolve of Indonesian authorities to track these animals down, and the co-operation between Australia and our biggest neighbour.

Incidents of extremist Islamic terrorism that have directly affected Australians have mostly taken place in Indonesia, and this represents an ongoing challenge for our security forces.

But as President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono pointed out yesterday, it is also important that our perception of our neighbours is not limited by the stereotype of Indonesia "as a hotbed of Islamic extremism".

With Indonesia so geographically close, Australians should take the opportunity to get beyond this and other stereotypes and deepen our understanding of Indonesia, so as to nurture our partnership.