BEJI, INDONESIA - Explosions and gunfire rocked a suspected hideout of alleged Asian terror mastermind Noordin Mohammed Top in Indonesia early Saturday, after a 12-hour siege by police, witnesses said.

An AFP reporter at the scene said he saw smoke billowing out of holes in the roof of the modest house in rural Central Java, and heard at least four explosions as police moved in on the property.

Repeated gunfire was then heard as elite counter-terror police opened fire on the house on the outskirts of Beji village, where Noordin is believed to be holed up with two or three accomplices.

Police could be seen approaching the house, which had been severely damaged in the course of the overnight siege.

Noordin leads an extremely dangerous splinter group of the Jemaah Islamiyah regional terror network and is wanted for a string of suicide attacks in Indonesia including last month's bombings of luxury hotels in Jakarta.

--AFP