Abu Bakar Bashir
(Jakarta, Indonesia) The co-founder and spiritual leader of al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah, Abu Bakar Bashir, 71, was arrested this week and charged with planning terrorist attacks.
Abu Bakar Bashir was arrested on Monday for allegedly helping set up and fund a terror cell that was plotting high-profile assassinations and attacks targeting foreigners at luxury hotels in the capital.Bashir has been blamed for behind-the-scene planning of the Bali bombings which resulted in the deaths of 202 people. If convicted in Indonesia, he faces the possibility of being put to death.
Investigators have collected strong evidence linking the fiery 71-year-old cleric to an al-Qaeda-linked terror cell discovered in westernmost Aceh province in February, said Lt. Gen. Ito Sumardi, chief detective for the national police.
"He has been officially detained and charged with violating the anti-terrorism law," Sumardi told reporters, adding that authorities compiled their case by combing Bashir's bank records, tapping telephone conversations, and hearing confessions from other suspected militants.
Bashir hasn't been talking in his own defense but supporters have started making noise on the Internet. A Facebook page has gathered over 10,000 supporters calling for his freedom.
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