DNA tests have proven beyond doubt that Indonesia's most-wanted Islamist militant, Noordin Mohammed Top, is dead, police say.

The man wanted for a series of deadly attacks across the archipelago was among four killed in a raid late last week near Solo city in central Java.

After the raid, police had immediately identified Malaysian-born Noordin using fingerprint records. Yesterday they said "the DNA also matches 100%".

It is not the first time Indonesian officials claimed Noordin was dead.

In a raid in central Java in August police had initially thought they had killed the militant, only to have forensic tests prove them wrong days later.

Police said they were planning to send Noordin's body back to Malaysia as soon as possible and it would not be necessary for his family to come to Indonesia.

Noordin (41) is believed to have been a key financier of the regional Jemaah Islamiah terror group before setting up his own more hardline splinter faction.

He is not thought to have been behind the 2002 bombings on Bali, but was allegedly involved in the blasts on the holiday island in 2005.

He was also blamed for a 2003 attack on the Marriott hotel in Jakarta that killed 12 people, and the 2004 Australian embassy bombing in the Indonesian capital.

A lull ended in July with twin suicide-bomb attacks on the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in Jakarta that killed nine people.