An Indonesian court has sentenced radical Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir to 15 years in prison for planning and funding a terrorist training camp where dozens of militants plotted attacks.
The ruling on Thursday marked the culmination of a decade of efforts by Indonesian authorities to link Mr Bashir, 72, to terrorist activities that cost hundreds of lives.
He had previously been acquitted of working with al-Qaeda in the 2002 Bali bombing, which killed 202 people, mostly western tourists, and a 2003 suicide bombing at the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta. Bashir’s defence lawyer said his client would appeal the decision.
The conviction is a significant victory for moderate Islam in Indonesia, a nation of 240m with the single largest population of Muslims in the world, where a tradition of religious tolerance has come under threat by a radical fringe of hardliners.
The International Crisis Group said Mr Bashir had through his teaching at Indonesian schools helped establish an “Ivy League” for recruits for regional terror network Jemaah Islamiyah. It labelled him the “elder statesman of Indonesia’s radical movement”.
The presiding judge said prosecutors had proven Mr Bashir “willingly planned and encouraged people to use violence and threats to create terror and fear”. He was acquitted of more serious charges of possession of firearms and explosives.
Ana Lestari, a 43-year-old Bashir supporter wept when she heard the verdict outside the courthouse. “Our teacher has nothing to do with any terrorism act. As a real Muslim one should be ready for jihad, both in heart and deeds.”
Hundreds of militants, including leaders of Jemaah Islamiyah, have been detained or killed in recent years, dealing a virtual death blow to the organisation. The risk of terrorist attacks is believed to have diminished, but recruitment for violent jihad continues among emerging radical groups seeking to create an Islamic state.
In delivering the ruling, Judge Herri Swantoro and the other justices took several hours to read the verdict, which was broadcast live to the nation. Thousands of security personnel, including counter terrorism forces and snipers, were deployed outside the court. Foreigners were warned by their governments to stay away from the proceedings.
Several hundred supporters of Mr Bashir chanted “Allah Akbar”, or “God is great”. Mr Bashir looked relaxed, sitting alone in a flowing white robe and cap in front of the tribunal.
In comments before the verdict, Mr Bashir, who has denied an active role in terrorist activity, denounced the case as an anti-Islamic, western conspiracy.
“My trial is not a regular trial. It is a battle against Islam. It is a battle between defenders of Islam and defenders of evil”, he said.
During months of hearings, prosecutors sought to prove seven charges relating to the funding and recruiting of members of an Aceh-based terror cell, carrying a maximum life sentence. The group, calling itself al-Qaeda of Aceh, was allegedly planning Mumbai-style gun attacks on foreigners and the assassination of Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
Mr Bashir has been arrested three times, most recently in August of 2010 by the counterterrorism unit. Jamah Ansharut Tauhid, an organisation with ties to known militants, issued a statement saying, “the verdict against Bashir is not the end of fight to uphold Islamic law. JAT and all the united Muslim communities will keep on fighting consistently to uphold sharia in this country”.
Indonesia suffered a series of deadly attacks between 2002 and 2009, but it has been two years since the last bombing, when suicide attackers blew themselves up at the Ritz Carlton and Marriott hotels in downtown Jakarta, killing seven people.
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