ABC AUSTRALIA, 14/04/2003 21:48:51
Indonesian cleric charged over bomb attacks
Prosecutors in Indonesia have charged Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir of plotting
bomb attacks in Indonesia and Singapore.
They say the attacks were part of a campaign to topple the Indonesian Government
and set up an Islamic state.
An indictment describes the Muslim cleric as "emir" or leader of the Jemaah
Islamiyah (JI) group, which has been linked to the Bali bombing incident.
Bashir is formally charged with treason, which is punishable with a 20-year jail term,
and three immigration offences.
He is accused of conspiring to commit treason with Abdullah Sungkar, Hambali,
Zulkarnaen, Imam Samudra and Mukhlas.
Hambali, the suspected former operations chief of JI, is Asia's most wanted man.
Samudra and Mukhlas are awiting trial for the Bali bombings last October which killed
202 people.
The 25-page charge sheet does not accuse Bashir, 64, of direct involvement in the
Bali bombings but it says he gave his blessing to the Christmas Eve 2000 bombings
of churches and priests in Indonesia, which killed 19 people. It says Bashir also
approved plans to bomb US interests in Singapore.
A court official says a trial could take part in Jakarta "within weeks".
Bashir, who was detained last October, denies any links to terrorism but has
described al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden as "a true Muslim fighter".
14/04/2003 21:48:51 | ABC Radio Australia News
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