Indonesian Muslim preacher Bashir in terror arrest

Abu Bakar Bashir last left jail in June 2006 where he had been held for links to the Bali bomb attacks

Indonesian police have arrested the controversial Muslim preacher Abu Bakir Bashir on terror charges.

Officials said they had proof he was linked to a training camp recently discovered in Aceh, West Sumatra.
Mr Bashir is known for fiery anti-Western rhetoric but proof of direct engagement in attacks has been elusive.
The United States and Australia had complained when Mr Bashir was freed from jail in 2006 and had called for more stringent measures against him.
The discovery in February of training camps in Aceh showed the opening of a new front in the country's often successful campaign against extremism.

The anti-terror police unit Detachment 88 detained Mr Bashir because of links to those Islamic militant training camps, a government official said.
'Muslim duty' Ansyaad Mbai, the head of Indonesia's anti-terror desk, told the BBC that Mr Bashir was detained on terrorism charges.
The authorities say more details about the arrest will be revealed in a news conference later in the day.
"He had been involved in terror network in Aceh. As we know, that terror group in Aceh is linked with Jemaah Islamiyah and many other extremist groups in our country," Mr Mbai told reporters.

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He is innocent, he was just carrying out his obligations as a Muslim”

End Quote Abdul Rohim Abu Bakir Bashir's son

"One of the allegations is that he provided funding to the Aceh military training. It's one of many allegations weighed against him," he said.
Mr Bashir, who is 71, is believed to be the head of a hardline Islamist group, the Jema'ah Ansharut Tauhid.
Mr Bashir's lawyer, Muhammad Ali, said his client was arrested in the Ciamis district of West Java.
His son, Abdul Rohim, appealed for fair treatment and said his mother had ben detained as well.
"We appeal police to treat my parents well... He is innocent, he was just carrying out his obligations as a Muslim," the son said.
Long history Founder of the Ngruki boarding school in East Java, he was the spiritual adviser to young men who went on to mount the Bali bomb attacks of 2002 which killed 202 people.
Mr Bashir was released from prison in 2006 after serving several years for involvement with Jemaah Islamiah, the group responsible for the Bali bombings.
His history of activism goes back to the 1970s when then-President Suharto imprisoned him for advocating that Indonesia should be an Islamic state.
He was jailed from 1978 to 1982 with his close ally Abdullah Sungkar, a Malaysian ideologue.
The Brussels-based International Crisis Group has reported a general decline in violent extremism across Indonesia but has stressed the ability of the remaining small groups to commit terrorist acts.
It said in a report last month that some members of JAT were involved in violent plots foiled by police.
This weekend, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said he had been saved from an attack on his life by anti-terror police.
Last July, simultaneous suicide bomb attacks on two five-star hotels in Jakarta killed nine people.


BBC