Convicts grilled over Ba'asyir

Evi Mariani and P.C. Naommy, Jakarta

Police have questioned all convicts in the Bali bombing in connection with terrorism charges leveled at Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir.

National Police antiterrorist division head Brig. Gen. Pranowo confirmed that the police had been questioning the convicts in relation to terrorist activities allegedly involving Ba'asyir.

But Pranowo denied reports that the police had brought some of the convicted Bali bombers, including Amrozi and his brother Ali Imron, to Jakarta for questioning.

"As far as I know, Amrozi and Ali Imron were questioned in Bali, not here in Jakarta," Pranowo told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

He was responding to Ba'asyir's lawyer Achmad Michdan, who said he learned that the National Police would question about 50 bombing suspects and convicts throughout the country as witnesses in Ba'asyir's case.

"I just met and spoke to Abu Rusydan at the crime division here (at the Jakarta Police Headquarters)," Michdan said. "Besides Abu, I also met five other bombing convicts including Amrozi. I conveyed my condolences to Amrozi for his father's death. He looked healthy."

Michdan said convicted bomber Imron was also at the Jakarta Police Headquarters along with the others.

Both Imron and Amrozi have been detained in Denpasar prison after the Denpasar District Court sentenced them to death and life imprisonment respectively last year.

They were convicted of plotting and executing the Bali bombing on Oct. 12, 2002, which claimed the lives of 202 people, mostly foreign holidaymakers.

Ba'asyir is allegedly the spiritual leader of al-Qaeda-linked Jamaah Islamiyah, which has been held responsible for the Bali blasts.

Michdan also said his client did not feel comfortable with his new detention room at the Jakarta Police Headquarters, which keeps him from other detainees. There were four empty cells between Ba'asyir's detention room and the next occupied cell on Thursday.

Pranowo also said the police were likely to reject a request to release Ba'asyir's alleged subordinate, Abu Jibril, from custody due to health concerns.

Jibril has been in the police custody after being deported from Malaysia last week for document forgery.

"We conducted a medical checkup on the day he (Abu) arrived, and the last overall medical checkup was done last Sunday. The results show that Abu is healthy," said Pranowo.

Abu's team of lawyers had asked that their client be released in their letter dated May 18 due to poor health. The lawyers also guaranteed Jibril would not flee, commit any crime and would be cooperative during questioning.