The Jakarta Post, 4/5/2004 9:12:53 PM
Bali bomber denies Ba'asyir involved in attack
DENPASAR, Bali (AP): Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir played no part in the 2002
Bali bombings, a militant sentenced to death over the attacks said Monday.
Ba'asyir is due to be released from jail later this month after being imprisoned for
minor immigration offenses. The United States and Australia have urged Jakarta not to
release him, maintaining the 65-year-old cleric has played a key role in terrorism in
Southeast Asia.
Indonesian police said last week they were investigating whether he was involved in
the Oct. 12, 2002, Bali nightclub attacks that killed 202 people, mostly foreign
tourists.
"Ba'asyir had nothing to do with the Bali bombing," Amrozi bin Nurhasyim, in jail in
Bali, told reporters. "If he was linked to it in the past, it was just because (those who
implicated him) were tortured by interrogators."
Ba'asyir has consistently denied accusations of wrongdoing, and says Western
governments want him imprisoned because he's a vocal critic of their policies in
Muslim countries.
Amrozi is one of 32 people convicted in the Bali bombings. He and two others have
been sentenced to death, while 29 others have been sentenced to between three
years and life imprisonment.
All contents copyright © of The Jakarta Post.
|
