Ba'asyir's case ready for trial: AGO

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta

The Attorney General's Office (AGO) announced on Thursday that Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir's case file was complete and that the terrorist suspect would soon be tried.

"We believe the evidence is enough. We are now arranging the trial time with the court," said AGO spokesman Kemas Yahya Rahman.

"We still have to complete some administrative requirements before handing the case over to the court. However, the trial will start soon," he said without giving a precise date.

According to legal procedures, he said, his office still had several days to complete the administrative requirements before forwarding the case to the court.

National Police investigators submitted Ba'asyir's files to the Jakarta prosecutor's office early last week. They said that they had new evidence proving that the cleric was behind a series of terrorist attacks that have rocked the country since 1999.

Police named Ba'asyir a terrorist suspect on April 16 and charged him with violating articles 14, 15, 17 and 18 of Law No. 15/2003 on antiterrorism for planning, ordering, abetting and perpetrating terrorist attacks. He could face the death penalty if convicted.

National Police chief of detectives Comr. Gen. Suyitno Landung Sudjono said earlier that as the spiritual leader of the Jamaah Isalmiyah (JI) terror group, Ba'asyir was responsible for planning the bomb attacks in the country between 1999 and 2002.

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

Kemas said that the evidence was now strong enough to charge Ba'asyir with terrorism offenses.

"The police have submitted new evidence different from previous evidence submitted in the 2003 trial, but we can't give out more details than that right now. The trial will be opened for the public, so the evidence will be clear later," said Kemas.

Ba'asyir was tried last year but prosecutors failed to prove his involvement in terrorist activities. However, he was sentenced to prison for immigration offenses and document forgery. He was rearrested shortly after his release in April, triggering a violent clash between his supporters and police.