Convicts grilled over Ba'asyir

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.