Abu Rusdan admits chairing JI<\/p>\n
JAKARTA: Defendant Abu Rusdan admitted on Wednesday he was the
\ncaretaker head of the regional terrorist network Jamaah Islamiyah
\n(JI), but said his aim was to dissuade members from violence.<\/p>\n
Rusdan, on trial for harboring Mukhlas, one of key suspects of
\nthe deadly Bali bombings, said in his defense plea that he was
\nasked to become the caretaker emir, or leader.<\/p>\n
He said he initially refused to become the emir because since
\nJI founder Abdullah Sungkar died in 1999 \"I was not kept abreast
\nwith developments of the community.\"<\/p>\n
He said he changed his mind after a meeting with Abu Bakar
\nBa'asyir, at which the cleric stressed the need for sincerity in
\nreligious duties.<\/p>\n
Ba'asyir was jailed for four years in September for taking
\npart in a plan to overthrow the government, but judges said there
\nwas not enough evidence to prove that he was the head of JI.<\/p>\n
At the meeting on Oct. 17 last year, Rusdan said, he
\n\"reluctantly\" accepted the caretaker leadership.<\/p>\n
He said the position would allow him \"to more effectively
\nremind members of the community not to be dragged into violent
\nacts which have recently been linked to members of the
\ncommunity.\"<\/p>\n
Rusdan, 43, said Mukhlas was at that meeting \"but at the time
\nI did not know or suspect that he was involved in the Bali
\nbombings\" that killed more than 200 people, mostly foreigners.<\/p>\n
He said he had not heard a remark attributed by prosecutors to
\nMukhlas -- that \"the perpetrators of the Bali bombings were us.\"<\/p>\n
Prosecutors say Rusdan first met Mukhlas in Afghanistan in
\n1987 when both were fighting the Soviet occupation.<\/p>\n
Defense lawyers called for the charges to be dropped, saying
\nthe South Jakarta court had no jurisdiction over offenses
\nelsewhere. They described the charges as vague.<\/p>\n
The trial was adjourned until Nov. 10, when prosecutors will
\nrespond. --AFP<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/abu-rusdan-admits-chairing-ji-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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