ABC AUSTRALIA, 17/02/2003 21:10:30
Bali bombing suspect claims association with detained cleric
A key suspect in the Bali bombings claims he was sworn in as a member of the
Jemaah Islamiyah regional terror network in the presence of Muslim cleric, Abu Bakar
Bashir.
In an interview with the Tempo weekly magazine, Ali Imron, 33, said he first met
Bashir in in Malaysia in 1991 where he was sworn in as a JI member.
Indonesian police and regional leaders say Bashir, who is detained on separate
terrorism charges, is the spiritual leader of JI.
The Bali bombings are widely believed to have been ordered by JI.
Bashir is accused of treason over an alleged plot to kill Megawati Sukarnoputri when
she was still vice president.
He's also accused of masterminding the Christmas Eve attacks in which bombs were
delivered to 38 churches nationwide killing 19 people.
Imron allegedly told the magazine that orders for some of the Christmas Eve
bombings in 2000 came from a key JI operative called Hambali.
Tempo said it interviewed Imron at a detectives' office in Bali last Wednesday.
17/02/2003 21:10:30 | ABC Radio Australia News
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