JAKARTA, 1 May 2004 — Hundreds of protesters clashed with police yesterday as officers rearrested a cleric accused of heading the Jemaah Islamiyah terror network on the day of his slated release from prison. Dozens of people were injured in the melee.
Abu Bakar Bashir, 66, was whisked away for questioning as he was due to be freed after serving an 18-month term for minor immigration offenses.
Authorities say they have new evidence that he is the leader of Jemaah Islamiyah and that he approved a string of bombings dating to 2000, including the Oct. 12, 2002, Bali bombings that killed 202 people.
Bashir was arrested as a terror suspect shortly after the Bali blasts but judges dismissed those charges, only convicting him of the immigration offenses and treason. The Supreme Court overturned the three-year treason sentence earlier this month.
“This is an extraordinary form of illegal detention,” said lawyer Munawarman. “They stormed into the cell. They pushed him and dragged him into the car. The police are acting above the law.”
Witnesses said a group of policemen grabbed Bashir at 6:30 a.m. from Jakarta’s Salemba prison and rushed him into a waiting van. As he was taken out, Bashir smiled and waved at waiting journalists, saying only: “The will of God must be carried out.”
About 300 supporters of Bashir tossed bricks, lit fires and charged at police outside the prison while officers took him away. Police quelled the protesters with tear gas and water cannon.
Television footage showed dozens of Bashir supporters walking from the scene covered in blood, and police later reported that at least 34 officers had sustained minor injuries. There were also a number of arrests, though authorities could not provide exact figures.
Police said the quick detention prevented more violence.
“We were forced to take Bashir out this way for everyone’s sake,” national police spokesman Maj. Gen. Bashir Ahmad Barmawi said. “We didn’t want an even worse scenario to take place.”
Bashir’s fate is a sensitive issue in Indonesia, where authorities have sought to balance the need to remain aggressive in the US-led war on terror while not appearing to cave in to pressure from the United States and Australia.
A number of Indonesian Muslim leaders, including the head of the country’s top Islamic council and the Islamic-based Party of Justice and Prosperity, called for his release.
The United States and Australia immediately praised the arrest and said it demonstrated the government’s determination to crack down on militants in the world’s largest Muslim nation.
“We welcome the decision of the Indonesian authorities to pursue prosecution of Bashir,” said Stanley Harsha, a spokesman for the American Embassy in Jakarta.
“There is extensive evidence of his leadership role and personal involvement in terrorist activities.”
