Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Bashir arrives at court for trial on terrorism charges in Jakarta. Picture: AP Source: AP
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HARDLINE Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Bashir has been found guilty of terrorism charges and sentenced to 15 Years in jail.
Hundreds of Bashir's supporters chanted "Alahu Akbar" at South Jakarta District Court as the verdict was announced.
The five judges took almost five hours to read out the long-awaited judgment against the man many consider to be the ageing father of terrorism in Indonesia.
It was the third time in a decade that authorities have bought terror charges against the 72-year-old and unlike previous attempts, this time they have stuck.
The judges said Bashir was legally and convincingly guilty of planning and motivating others to commit terrorism and of using violence or the threat of violence to create fear.
He had funded and set up a terror training camp in Aceh province.
Reading out the verdict, the chief judge said the evidence presented in the case had proved the defendant had "incited others" to commit acts of terrorism by persuading them to undertake military training at the Aceh camp.
"As well, he persuaded them to commit violence, which led to the deaths of policemen, and which created an atmosphere of terror... especially for the people of Aceh in general."
Bashir, the former spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiah (JI), the group responsible for the 2002 Bali bombings, has denied the charges throughout the trial, which began in February.
He has not denied knowing about the Aceh camp but has previously said the activities happening there were merely a type of training called idad, which all Muslims must undertake.
A large cache of ammunition and weapons, including AK-47 rifles, was found when the paramilitary camp was raided by police in February last year.
Thousands of police were on hand, including balaclava-clad snipers on the rooftops of buildings around the court as they waited for the verdict to be handed out.
The Indonesian cleric had earlier accused Australia and the US of playing a major role in having him brought to court and tried on terror charges and declared he is not a terrorist.
Dressed in flowing white robes, the 72-year-old hardline cleric spoke freely in the court holding cells today prior to the start of his verdict.
South Jakarta was under heavy security, with almost 3000 police and military guarding the court complex and surrounds as hundreds of Bashir?s supporters converged on the area amid treats of reprisal bombings.
Outside court, in the cells, Bashir accused Australia and America of playing a big role in his imminent demise.
?The trouble makers are these two, (Australia and America) the enemies of Allah. They try to eliminate me from Indonesia. Because they are the ones who started the crusade war, America, George Bush. Until now Australia and America still have role in my case. That's clear,? Bashir told reporters through the bars.
?I am not a terrorist,? a relaxed looking Bashir declared.
?Kill me if they can, if they can't, then just how to eliminate me from the society, because they think my struggle for Islam is dangerous. My trial is not regular trial, it is a battle against Islam. It is a battle between defenders of Islam and Musrik, the defenders of evil. I am an Islam defender.?
Security high
Indonesian police say almost 3000 officers are on duty and stationed in and around the court precinct, in South Jakarta, along with snipers on nearby rooftops, who have been authorised to shoot if necessary.
It comes as threats of reprisal bombing campaigns circulated on Twitter and Blackberry messenger and SMS on Bashir being found guilty.
An SMS warned of bombings at 36 locations across Indonesia, and that bombs would detonate simultaneously when the verdict is handed down. Two Twitter accounts also waned of plans to bomb Government buildings.
These, together with a new plot uncovered this week by terrorists to poison police food with cyanide, will keep police and security forces on high alert.
Bashir, the former spiritual leader of Jeemah Islamiah, is considered by many to have been the father figure of Indonesian terrorism, and to have the blood of more than 200 terror victims on his hands. However he has never been convicted of any role in the bombing campaigns which left hundreds dead and injured.
Prosecutors demanded that 72-year-old Bashir be jailed for life, having stopped short of demanding the death penalty, which was available to them.
He ws accused of inciting, planning and raising funds for terrorism , although the case did not include any named targets for attacks.
Two other charges, of weapons trafficking and using violence or the threat of violence to cause terror, were dropped by prosecutors after all the evidence had been heard.
Trail of evidence
The prosecution alleged the cleric?s fingerprints were all over a terrorist training camp which was uncovered in Aceh. They said he was the ?Amir? or supreme leader of the group and that he raised more than $160,000 for the camp and its operations, as well as personally donating some of his own funds.
He is alleged to have met now slain terror leader and Bali bomber Dulmatin to arrange the camp, after Dulmatin returned to Indonesia from the Phillippines were he fled after the Bali bombing.
Bashir is alleged to have encouraged others to donate funds for the operation and videos of the camp were used by Bashir to show others and convince them to part with money to fund Jihad.
The videos showed young men in military training in the jungle and heavily armed.
Prosecutors have told the court that Bashir deserves heavy punishment, that he has shown no remorse, was not honest and consistent in his court statements and that his actions had disturbed national security.
Bashir denies he is a terrorist and says he is innocent, maintaining that the case against him is fabricated and brought by the Indonesians under pressure from America and Australia. He said witnesses who had testified against him via teleconference had done so under pressure by authorities.
The trial began in February this year. It is widely expected that Bashir will be convicted today. However that will not be the end of the matter and it is expected he and his lawyers will fight the verdict on every appeal.
It is the third time in a decade that Indonesian authorities have attempted to prosecute Bashir for terrorism-related offences. Previous attempts have been unsuccessful and he has only served minimal jail terms before the major convictions were quashed on appeal.
Convicted of giving his tacit blessing to the 2002 Bali bombing, the conviction was later quashed on appeal after the so-called smiling bomber, Amrozi, withdrew his testimony that he had gone to Bashir to get his blessing to conduct the Bali bombing operation and that Bashir had concurred.
Amrozi, who has since been executed for his role in the bombing, testified at the appeal that he had been tortured by police into making the statement and that Bashir had played no role in the attack.
In March 2005 Bashir was found guilty of the Bali bombing charge and sentenced to 30 months jail. Seven other charges were thrown out. In June 2006 he was freed from jail after winning sentence remissions and later the conviction was quashed by the Supreme Court.
Bashir is the founder of the Al Mukmin Ngruki Islamic boarding school in Central Java, which includes as its alumni many convicted terrorists.
He was also the co-founder of Jeemah Islamiah, the group behind numerous deadly bombing campaigns in Indonesia, including the 2002 Bali nightclub attacks which killed 200 innocent people, including 88 Australians.
Later, in July 2008, he went on to form a group called Jamaah Ansharut Tauhid or JAT ? meaning ?partisans of the oneness of God? ? with the aim of turning Indonesia into an Islamic caliphate.
JAT was the precursor for the military training operation, which the group had dubbed ?Al Qaeda in the Verandah of Mecca?. Aceh has long been known as the verandah of Mecca in Indonesia.
Many JAT members have been tried and convicted this year of their involvement in the Aceh camp operations, earning sentences of 10 to 12 years.
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