Terrorist suspects to testify in Ba'asyir trial

Terrorist suspects to testify in Ba'asyir trial

Abdul Khalik
Jakarta

Police are trying to convince seven detained terrorist suspects
to testify at the planned trial of Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, a cleric
also detained for alleged terrorist activities.

Police chief of detectives Comr. Gen. Suyitno Landung Sudjono
said on Tuesday that police were trying to link Dahlan and six
other terrorist suspects arrested in Surakarta, Central Java last
week to Ba'asyir, so that they could testify at his trial.

"We are still interrogating them in Central Java and Bali.
Dahlan was involved in planning an attack on the JW Marriott
Hotel, while the six others were accused of involvement in the
Marriott and Bali bombings. We will find a link between Ba'asyir
and the seven," said Suyitno.

Police named Ba'asyir a terrorist suspect on April 16 and
charged him under Articles 14, 15, 17 and 18 of Law No. 15/2003
on terrorism for planning, coercing, abetting and perpetrating
terrorist attacks. He could face the death sentence if convicted.

Suyitno said earlier that as the spiritual leader of Jamaah
Islamiyah (JI), Ba'asyir was responsible for planning bomb
attacks in the country between 1999 and 2002.

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.

National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said in Semarang last
week that the six played a central role in planning and preparing
both attacks, in which over two hundred people were killed and
hundreds of others injured.

He said it had also been revealed that the six were involved
in the planning of the attack on the United Nations building in
2003.

Da'i clarified on Friday last week that they were all members
of the JI.

Police said one of the six suspects, identified by his
initials US, was a citizen of a neighboring country. The
remaining suspects were identified as AD, BA, MT, UM, and FH.

Ba'asyir's case file was submitted to the Jakarta prosecutor's
office two weeks ago. Police said that they found new evidence
that the cleric was behind a series of bombings that rocked the
country since 1999.

Director of the police's antiterror division Brig. Gen.
Pranowo said Ba'asyir would be tried soon, as the prosecutor's
office had confirmed that his case file was complete.

"However, we don't want to be in too much of a hurry because
we want to gather as much evidence as possible -- we still have
time," said Pranowo.

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.