Cleric Accused of Terror Ties Alleges Frame-Up
A radical Islamic cleric accused of heading an Al Qaeda-linked terrorist network in Asia wept in court as he accused the Indonesian government of framing him on charges of treason and plotting to assassinate the president.
Abu Bakar Bashir, 64, said authorities in neighboring Singapore and Malaysia had tortured witnesses to testify against him. Bashir is considered the spiritual head of Jemaah Islamiah, which is blamed for last year’s bombings in Bali and this month’s suicide attack on Jakarta’s JW Marriott Hotel. He is not charged in those cases.
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