Indonesian Cleric Gets 15 Years on Terror Charge

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Source: Associated Press

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Radical cleric Abu Bakar Bashir was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison for helping to organize and fund a jihadi training camp that brought together terrorists from almost every known Indonesian extremist group.

The masterminds behind the camp in a remote area of westernmost Aceh province allegedly were intending to carry out attacks on foreigners and assassinations of moderate Muslim leaders such as Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

The sentence was announced amid high security at a Jakarta court where hundreds of Bashir supporters gathered, some carrying small placards emblazoned with "Don't play around, free Abu Bakar Bashir." Nearly 3,200 police and soldiers were deployed in the area after threats to bomb 36 locations in Indonesia were spread through Twitter and text messages.

Bashir, 72, has been a potent symbol for Indonesia's radical Islamists and, even if not operationally involved in terrorist attacks, is regarded by terrorism experts as providing crucial religious and ideological sanction for violent extremism.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2011/06/16/world/asia/AP-AS-Indonesia-Militant-Cleric.html