Radical cleric faces terror charge
JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- Radical Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir faces trial Thursday on charges of instigating terrorist bombings in Jakarta and the island resort of Bali.
The 66-year-old Muslim cleric arrived at the Jakarta court house surrounded by gun-toting police officers.
He was greeted by scores of supporters chanting "Allahu Akbar," or "God is greatest."
An earlier attempt to prosecute Ba'asyir over the October 2002 Bali bombings failed, although the religious leader did serve 18 months in jail for immigration violations.
Prosecutors are more confident of making the charge stick this time, believing they have a stronger case and more reliable witnesses to prove Ba'asyir's involvement in the crimes.
Ba'asyir's indictment charges him with "planning and or inciting others to conduct terror crimes," according to Reuters news agency.
The charges relate to a suicide bomb attack at the J.W. Marriott hotel in Jakarta in August last year which killed 12 people and the Bali explosions which left more than 200 dead.
Ba'asyir is alleged to be the spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), reputedly the Southeast Asian arm of terror group al Qaeda.
The group is accused of being behind the Bali and Marriott attacks as well as the attack on the Australian embassy in Jakarta on September 9 which killed 10 people.
The prosecution indictment says Ba'asyir ordered a fatwa, or religious decree, from Osama bin Laden to JI members to wage war against Americans and their allies.
Ba'asyir denies any involvement in the bombings and maintains no such terror group as JI exists.
"The police and prosecution really want to see these charges stick," Southeast Asia director of the International Crisis Group Sidney Jones told CNN Thursday.
"I think it's going to be a stronger case this time around."
But she cautioned that the evidence against Ba'asyir seemed to be indirect and the strength of the case would probably depend on the quality of the witnesses testifying against him.
"This is going to be a riveting drama," she said.
The trial is being held in a converted government auditorium in Jakarta.
Security forces have tightened security around the makeshift court, partly chosen to accommodate the large crowds that are anticipated.
The trial will be an early test for newly elected resident Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who campaigned on a platform which included cracking down hard on homegrown terrorism in the sprawling archipelago -- the world's most populous Muslim nation.
