Indonesian court jails radical cleric for terrorism

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JAKARTA: An Indonesian court on Thursday jailed radical cleric Abu Bakar Bashir for 15 years for funding a terrorist group that was planning attacks against Westerners and political leaders.

The 72-year-old preacher showed little emotion as judge Herri Swantoro read out the guilty verdict and sentence at the end of a four-month trial in the
South Jakarta district court.

"Abu Bakar Bashir has been proven guilty of planning and misleading other people to fund terror activities ... and is sentenced to 15 years in jail," the judge said, triggering a gasp from the cleric's supporters in the court.

Bashir immediately promised to appeal the sentence, which he called the work of the devil.

"This is haram (forbidden in Islam). I reject this because it is cruel and disregards Islamic sharia. This ruling is by the friends of the devil and it is haram for me to accept it," he said in response to the judge.

About 500 radicals erupted into shots of "Allahu akbar" (God is great) outside the court as the verdict was read.

Prosecutors had demanded a 20-year life sentence for Bashir, who was found guilty of providing thousands of dollars to a terror cell operating in Aceh province.

He had been facing the death penalty for providing illegal weapons to the group but authorities dropped those charges early in the proceedings.

Bashir is seen as a spiritual leader of Islamist militants including regional terror network Jemaahh Islamiyah, blamed for the 2002 bombings of tourist areas on Bali island which killed 202 people. (AFP)