The Jakarta Post, 12/21/2004 4:31:52 PM
Ba'asyir trial halted as supporters try to attack Malaysian witness
JAKARTA (AFP): The terrorism trial of Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir was
halted abruptly Tuesday as his supporters tried to attack a witness testifying against
the alleged leader of the Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) extremist group.
The row erupted as Ba'asyir's lawyers scolded Mohammad Nasir Abbas, a former key
member of JI, for repeatedly replying "no comment" as they cross-examined his
claims the cleric was now the group's leader.
Police came to the rescue of Abbas, a Malaysian who served 10 months in prison in
Indonesia for immigration offences, as Ba'asyir's supporters tried to grab him from the
witness stand, prompting judges hearing the case to flee the court.
Tempers flared after Abbas earlier accused Bashir of leading JI -- a valuable testimony
for prosecutors struggling to link him to the Southeast Asian extremist group believed
to have ties to Al-Qaeda.
Ba'asir is accused of inciting followers to carry out the October 2002 Bali bombings in
which 202 people died and an attack last year on the Jakarta Marriott hotel that left 12
dead.
If found guilty he could be sentenced to death.
So far a string of star prosecution witnesses, all convicted terrorists, have denied
Ba'asyir's involvement in JI, which is blamed for the Bali and Marriott attacks and
bombing at the Australian embassy in Jakarta.
But Abbas, who is believed to be under police witness protection in Indonesia, said he
had been told about the cleric's appointment by fellow key militant Hambali while they
were both at a training camp in the Philippines.
He said he had believed Hambali's statement and passed it on to another member of
the organisation, Imron Baehaqi, who last week told the same court he had no
knowledge the religious teacher was head of JI.
Ba'asir's defence lawyers accused Abbas of making inconsistent statements, but
were stonewalled by the witness who repeatedly replied "no comment", prompting the
fracas.
Five other witnesses were scheduled to make an appearance at Ba'asyir's trial on
Tuesday, but three declined to attend.
Convicted Bali bombers Ali Imron and Mubarak both said in a letter read out in court,
that they had already testified on Ba'asyir during the cleric's trial last year and that
"there are no new matters" to inform the court.
A Balinese witness said he was unable to testify due to work commitments.
Ba'asyir was cleared last year by an Indonesian court of leading JI, which seeks to
create an Islamic fundamentalist state in Southeast Asia, but police say they have
new evidence of his leadership role.
Ba'asir has described the indictment as "legal fiction" and said he had nothing to gain
from acts of terrorism since they would only fuel interference in Indonesia by
Washington. (*)
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