Cleric jailed on terror charge

THE Indonesian Muslim cleric known as spiritual leader of the militants who carried out the 2002 Bali bombings has been jailed for 15 years for his support of a terror training camp.

Abu Bakar Bashir’s conviction for incitement of terrorism followed two unsuccessful attempts by prosecutors over the past eight years to link him to terror activities, including a conviction that was later overturned in relation to the Bali attacks that killed 202 people. The relatively long sentence against Bashir, now 72, shows Indonesia’s continuing resolve to tackle its deadly extremist movement.

The sentence was announced amid high security at a Jakarta court, where nearly 3,200 police and soldiers secured the area after bomb threats spread through Twitter and text messages.

Bashir, who denies involvement in terrorism, rejected the ruling, and his lawyer said he would appeal.

“This verdict ignores Sharia law and is based on the infidel law, so it’s forbidden for me to accept it,” Bashir told the court.

Hundreds of Bashir’s supporters, some carrying placards saying “Free Abu Bakar Bashir”, reacted to the ruling with shock.