Ba'asyir to stand trial on Oct. 28

JAKARTA: The South Jakarta District Court set on Monday an Oct. 28 date for the opening trial of Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, who is being charged with masterminding the bomb attack on J.W. Marriott Hotel in Jakarta last year.

The trial will be held at the Ministry of Agriculture auditorium in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, in anticipation of a huge crowd wishing to attend the much-awaited trial.

In 2000, the venue was supposed to host the corruption trial of former president Soeharto. Prosecutors were unable to bring him to court due to ill health, however the court halted the trial.

Court president Sudarto will preside over Ba'asyir's trial, which will also see four other judges hear the case. In cases which draw widespread public attention, a court assigns five judges.

Ba'asyir's lawyer Achmad Mihdan said that his client was ready to face trial.

The JW Marriott bombing in August 2003 killed 12 people.

The cleric was incarcerated weeks after the Bali bombing in 2002. He stood trial on charges of perpetrating a terrorist attack, but the court could only found him guilty of immigration offense. -- JP