Monday, August 09, 2010

Radical Cleric Abu Bakar Bashir Arrested in Indonesia

THE TELEGRAPH: Radical Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, once imprisoned for his links to the terror group behind the Bali bombings, has been arrested for alleged involvement with a new militant network.

His lawyer, Muhammad Ali, said the arrest took place on Monday morning in West Java's Ciamis district.

Bashir is best known as the founder and spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiyah, the al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group responsible for the 2002 bombings on Indonesia's resort island of Bali that killed 202 people, many of them foreign tourists.

He spent several years in prison for his involvement with the group, but was released in 2006.

He was re-arrested for alleged involvement with a new terror cell in Indonesia's westernmost province of Aceh, the lawyer said.

Authorities discovered the new group in February and said it was allegedly planning to assassinate the president and carry out Mumbai-style attacks targeting foreigners. >>> | Monday, August 09, 2010