Abu Bakar Bashir: Charges Dropped in Indonesia
Charles Johnson
Wed Jul 28, 2004 at 8:08 pm PDT • Views: 205
Q: Why is this man smiling?
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A: Because today, he got away with mass murder in the name of Allah.
JAKARTA, Indonesia - Indonesian police dropped plans Wednesday to charge a radical cleric in the 2002 Bali bombings, but said the man Washington accuses of being a terror mastermind in Southeast Asia will remain in jail.
The 65-year-old Abu Bakar Bashir will be charged with other crimes, including heading the al-Qaida-linked Jemaah Islamiyah terror group and a deadly suicide attack last year on Jakarta’s J.W. Marriott Hotel, chief detective Suyitno Landung said. Jemaah Islamiyah was blamed for both attacks.
The announcement followed last week’s landmark ruling by the Constitutional Court, which barred the retroactive use of an anti-terror law rushed through parliament after the Bali bombings. The explosions killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists.
Lawyers for 32 militants found guilty in the Bali attacks have vowed to appeal, despite court and government officials who have insisted the ruling cannot be applied retroactively and won’t affect the convictions.
Bashir, Indonesia’s best known Islamic militant, was arrested under the anti-terror law. His lawyers have argued he should be immediately released. Attorney Wirawan Adnan said the decision to drop the Bali charges showed the police case against Bashir was weak.
“They are trying to find whatever reason they can to keep him in jail,” Adnan said. “This only proves they are doing this because of foreign influence.”
Frank says: