Ba'asyir transferred to Cipinang, formal charges expected in days<\/p>\n
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Investigators submitted the case file on cleric Abu Bakar
\nBa'asyir to prosecutors on Wednesday, paving the way for his
\ntrial on charges of involvement in a string of terrorist attacks
\nacross the country.<\/p>\n
Police also handed over Ba'asyir, who is accused of planning
\nthe 2003 J.W. Marriott Hotel bombing in Jakarta and of leading
\nthe al-Qaeda linked Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), to prosecutors. He was
\nlater transferred to Cipinang Penitentiary in East Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Ba'asyir had been detained at Salemba Prison in Jakarta since
\nbeing arrested shortly after finishing an 18-month jail sentence
\nfor immigration offenses in late April.<\/p>\n
\"We will be ready to charge him in two or three days because
\nthe dossier is clear on the accusations. We hope to bring him to
\ncourt within a week,\" Attorney General's Office spokesman Kemas
\nYahya Rahman said.<\/p>\n
He said prosecutors would charge the suspect under articles
\n14, 15, 17 and 18 of Antiterrorism Law No. 15\/2003 for planning,
\nabetting and perpetrating terrorist attacks. If found guilty on
\nthe charges, Ba'asyir could face the death penalty.<\/p>\n
\"Evidence shows that he planned the Marriott bombing. He is
\nalso implicated in the discovery of explosives on Jl. Sri Rejeki
\nin Semarang, Central Java, and several witnesses have testified
\nthat he was the leader of JI,\" said Kemas.<\/p>\n
JI has been listed as a terrorist organization by the UN. It
\nhas been blamed for the Oct. 12, 2002, Bali bombings that killed
\n202 people, and the Aug. 5, 2003, Marriott bombing that killed 12
\npeople.<\/p>\n
Kemas said prosecutors would charge Ba'asyir under the
\nCriminal Code for his alleged role in the 2002 Bali bombings,
\nafter the Constitutional Court ruled last month that the 2003
\nantiterrorism law could not be applied retroactively.<\/p>\n
\"We will use Article No. 187 of the Criminal Code on explosive
\nmaterials to link the suspect with the Bali bombings,\" Kemas
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He said prosecutors had built a strong case against Ba'asyir
\nand that the prosecutor's office would prioritize his case.<\/p>\n
Ba'asyir was first arrested in October 2002, shortly after the
\nBali bombings, and was tried last year. However, prosecutors
\nfailed to prove his involvement in terrorist activities.<\/p>\n
Ba'asyir was found guilty of immigration offenses and document
\nforgery, and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. He was
\nrearrested on terrorism charges shortly after his release on
\nApril 30.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Australia hailed Indonesia's decision to charge
\nBa'asyir under the tough antiterror law, even though he would not
\nbe directly tried for the Bali bombings.<\/p>\n
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said his country
\njust wanted to see Ba'asyir and those behind the Bali blasts
\njailed, and how that was achieved was a matter for the
\nIndonesians.<\/p>\n
\"The issue for us is that Ba'asyir face justice for his
\nalleged involvement in terrorism,\" he was quoted as saying by
\nAFP.<\/p>\n
\"Ba'asyir is the spiritual leader of Jamaah Islamiyah, which
\nwas the organization responsible for the Bali bombing,\" Downer
\nadded.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister John Howard said Australia was concerned that
\nIdris, also known as Jhoni Hendrawan, escaped justice for the
\nBali attacks after the Constitutional Court revoked the Law No.
\n16\/2003 on retroactive application of the antiterrotism law in
\nthe Bali bombings.<\/p>\n
Howard said it was hoped that Idris could be charged with
\nother offenses over the Bali attacks.<\/p>\n
\"Whether they can bring new charges against him, for example,
\nof murder, it just remains to be seen,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/baasyir-transferred-to-cipinang-formal-charges-expected-in-days-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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