The Australian, October 29, 2004
Australia God's enemy: Bashir
Sian Powell, Jakarta correspondent
ACCUSED terrorist Abu Bakar Bashir has told an Indonesian court to be wary of
interference from the "two enemies of God", Australia and the US.
On the first day of the extremist cleric's long-awaited second trial for terrorist crimes,
Bashir briefed journalists, prosecutors and judges on the potential for Western
meddling. Bashir had earlier denied he had any connection with the blast outside the
Australian embassy on September 9 and said the world's real criminals were George
Bush "and his slave John Howard".
The cleric is facing charges related to the Bali bombings and the Marriott hotel blast
in Jakarta last August.
In court, Bashir claimed there had been three incidents of Western judicial intervention
already in Indonesia. He cited his own detention and claimed that a US consul in the
western city of Medan complained that someone accused of terrorism had been
acquitted.
And he said US and Australian diplomats complained to prosecutors when another
man widely accused of terrorism, Abu Jibril, was acquitted.
However, chief prosecutor Salman Maryadi then told the court that in fact, Abu Jibril
had been convicted.
Sounding hoarse and looking tired, Bashir said he was confused by the prosecutors'
65-page indictment, which had been read aloud to the court for nearly three hours.
"Please give me an outline of what I'm charged with," he said.
Prosecutor Maryadi obliged by telling the preacher that he was charged with having a
role in the bombing at the Marriott hotel, and in connection with the Bali bombings.
As the prosecutor explained the charges, Bashir smiled slightly.
"For the Marriott bombing," Mr Maryadi said. "Ustadz (honoured cleric Abu Bakar
Bashir) together with others, such as Faisal Abu Bakar Bafana, mobilised or planned
terrorist crimes, and as the leader, created the guidelines for the struggle, PUPJI, in
the organisation Jemaah Islamiah."
Mr Maryadi said Bashir, with others, had established JI's Hudaibiyah training camp in
the southern Philippines, where militants were taught how to bomb, and certain of the
militants then went on to put their knowledge into action.
The prosecutor also explained that Bashir was charged with "evil conspiracy" by
telling followers in the Hudaibiyah camp to attack. Bashir was also charged with
failing to inform the authorities of the planned attack on the Marriott hotel. Mr Maryadi
then outlined the charges concerning the Bali bombings, which killed 202 people,
including 88 Australians.
"Using charisma, Ustadz Abu Bakar Bashir convinced his followers to carry out
attacks, and it's true, they did the bombings," the prosector said.
The makeshift court, in the auditorium of the Agriculture Department in south Jakarta,
was packed with more than 600 journalists and militant followers.
© The Australian
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