Ba'asyir to remain in police custody

Ba'asyir to remain in police custody

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta

National Police announced on Tuesday that they would continue to
detain Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir despite the
Constitutional Court ruling that Law No. 16/2003 on the
retroactivity of laws was unconstitutional, arguing that the
cleric was suspected of involvement in other terrorism-linked
crimes besides the 2002 Bali bomb attacks.

National Police chief of detectives Comr. Gen. Suyitno Landung
Sudjono said that the police would continue the investigation and
detention of Ba'asyir under Law No. 15/2003 on terrorism because
Ba'asyir was the leader of Jamaah Islamiyah (JI).

The JI is a UN-listed terrorist organization blamed for the
Oct. 12, 2002 Bali bombings in which 202 people died, and the
Aug. 5, 2003 JW Marriott Hotel attack in Jakarta, which claimed
12 lives.

"The court only annulled Law No. 16/2003 but not Law No. 15 on
terrorism, so we can continue to detain him using the Terrorism
Law. Ba'asyir is the leader of JI, which is responsible for
several bomb attacks after the Bali bombings," said Suyitno.

Law No. 16/2003 was issued specifically to enable authorities
to charge the Bali bomb suspects under Law No. 15/2003 on
terrorism.

Police named Ba'asyir a terrorist suspect in April 16 for
planning, coercing, abetting and perpetrating terrorist attacks.

Ba'asyir was arrested in October 2002 on terror charges, after
the Bali bombings. Last year, however, he was found guilty only
of immigration offenses and document forgery, and sentenced to 18
months after appealing to the Supreme Court.

Suyitno said the police would use other laws, such those under
the Criminal Code, against Ba'asyir and other suspects in the
Bali bombings.