Key Bali suspects to testify in Ba'asyir's trial
Key Bali suspects to testify in Ba'asyir's trial
Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali
Four key suspects in the deadly Bali bombings were flown to
Jakarta on Tuesday to testify in the trial of Abu Bakar Ba'asyir,
the alleged leader of regional terrorist group Jamaah Islamiyah
(JI).
Ali Imron, Imam Samudra, Ali Ghufron, alias Mukhlas, and
Mubarok left the island aboard a chartered plane, handcuffed and
with a heavy police guard. The four, all of whom are believed to
be JI members, were to testify at Ba'asyir's trial, scheduled for
Wednesday.
Ba'asyir, 64, is currently on trial for treason and
immigration violations and faces a jail sentence of up to 20
years if convicted. Prosecutors have identified Ba'asyir as the
chairman of JI.
Prosecutors also accused Ba'asyir of authorizing the Christmas
Eve bombings in 2000, which killed 19 people.
Ba'asyir is further accused of discussing an attack on U.S.
interests in Singapore and of ordering the assassination of
President Megawati Soekarnoputri when she was still vice
president. The plot was not carried out.
Meanwhile, one of the judges, Andi Samsan Nganro, said the
four "are the means for prosecutors to unearth facts that will
strengthen their indictment" against Ba'asyir.
"Hopefully, the trial will reveal whether or not there is a
link between Ba'asyir and these four men," Andi was quoted by
Agence France Presse as saying on Tuesday.
Authorities have accused JI as being behind the Bali bombings,
which killed at least 202 people and injured over 350 others.
Ba'asyir has not been accused of having a role in those blasts
but key Bali suspects, including Samudra and Mukhlas, have been
named in his indictment.
Mukhlas is said to be a senior figure in JI. He was the
overall supervisor of the Bali attack. Samudra was the alleged
bombing field commander, who selected the targets and was a
leading JI member.
Ali Imron, a brother of Mukhlas, is said to have helped
assemble the bombs and drive the van that carried them. Mubarok
is said to have helped drive to Bali a van that housed one bomb.
Meanwhile, police interrogated on Tuesday night three
journalists after they went onto the apron of Ngurah Rai Airport
as the four suspects boarded a chartered flight.
They were identified as Syafrudin Siregar, a
Bali-based correspondent for RCTI television
station, Budi Santoso, a Metro TV
news channel cameraman and Stephanus Wibowo of Sonora radio
station.
As of 9 p.m. local time the three were still
being questioned at the airport police station.