Indonesian prosecutors seek life sentence, not death for Abu Bakar |
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Melbourne, May 9 ANI: Radical Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Bashir is all set to get a possible life sentence instead of death after prosecutors on Monday dropped the most serious terror charges against him for lack of evidence. Prosecutors at his trial in Jakarta said the charge of providing firearms and explosives for terrorist acts, for which the 72-year-old preacher could have faced the death penalty, "could not be proven convincingly". The charge of inciting acts of terrorism was also dropped, leaving only the accusation of providing funding to a terrorist group, for which the prosecutors sought a maximum life sentence. Hundreds of Bashir's radical followers erupted into chants of support for the man who is widely regarded as a spiritual leader of Southeast Asian jihadists, The Herald Sun reports. Bashir now stands accused only of providing funds to the so-called al-Qaeda in Aceh that was planning Mumbai-style attacks in Indonesia, according to police. Bashir has previously been linked to bin Laden through Jemaah Islamiah, the group responsible for the 2002 Bali bombings, of which he was the co-founder and spiritual leader. Bashir served almost 26 months in prison for conspiracy over the 2002 Bali bombings, which killed 202 people, including 88 Australians, but was later acquitted on appeal. ANI Posted by aniin on Tuesday May 10 reply Comments |
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