'Terror chief' sues police over Bali bomb arrest
The suspected spiritual head of an Islamic terror group implicated in the Bali bombings filed a lawsuit today against Indonesia’s police chief demanding he be set free and compensated for his time in custody.
In the complaint submitted to the South Jakarta District Court, Abu Bakar Bashir, of Jemaah Islamiyah – an al-Qaida-linked group – sought 1 billion rupiah (€104,000) in compensation from national police chief General Da’i Bachtiar.
“The police have improperly applied the criminal code against Bashir,” said Muhammad Assegaf, one of Bashir’s lawyers.
Bashir was arrested soon after the October 12 Bali nightclub bombings which killed 202 people, including 24 Britons. However, he was not charged in connection with the blast.
Police said at the time that he would be charged for his alleged involvement in a spate of church bombings in 2000, but they have yet to file any charges against him.
“This indicates that police did not have enough evidence when they arrested him in October,” Assegaf said.
Prosecutors have said Bashir will be tried for treason, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years’ imprisonment.
Bashir has repeatedly denied any connection to the Bali bombings and the church attacks, which killed 19 people, saying the case against him was politically motivated.
Police have so far arrested nearly three dozen members of Jemaah Islamiyah and their accomplices over the Bali bombings case. Their trials are expected to start by the end of April.
