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.