Bali bombings: Is the suspected mastermind still a threat?
Abu Bakar Bashir, a radical Islamic cleric linked to the 2002 Bali bombings, has been freed from prison. Although his release raises security concerns, experts say Bashir has largely lost his following.
The 82-year-old cleric is known for promoting Islamist terror attacks in Indonesia
Islamist cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, who allegedly masterminded the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, was released from prison by Indonesia s Justice Ministry on Friday after serving 10 years of a 15-year sentence.
Bashir was convicted in 2011 of funding an Islamist militant training camp in Aceh Province. He has never admitted having a link to the bombings. However, Bashir was known as the spiritual leader of the al-Qaida-linked Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) network, which has been blamed for the attack.
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SUKOHARJO, Indonesia (Reuters) -Indonesian Islamic cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, the suspected mastermind of the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, walked free from prison on Friday after serving 10 years for setting up a militant training camp.
Bashir, 82, who was never convicted of a direct role in the bombings, would enter a deradicalisation programme amid concerns over his continued influence in extremist circles, authorities said.
Photographs showed him dressed in white and wearing a mask as he left the prison in Bogor, south of the capital, Jakarta, before being driven to his home at an Islamic boarding school near the city of Solo in Central Java.
By Budi Satriawan SUKOHARJO, Indonesia (Reuters) - Indonesian Islamic cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, the suspected mastermind of the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, walked free from prison on Friday after serving 10 years for setting up a militant training camp. Bashir, 82, who was never convicted of a direct role in the bombings, would enter a deradicalisation programme amid concerns over his continued influence in extremist circles, authorities said. Photographs showed him dressed in white and wearing a mask as he left the prison in Bogor, south of the capital, Jakarta, before being driven to his home at an Islamic boarding school near the city of Solo in Central Java. Abu Bakar Bashir was released from Gunung Sindur prison at 5.30 a.m., Rika Aprianti, a spokeswoman for the corrections department, told reporters. Bashir, who is regarded as the spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiah (JI), a jihadist network with ties to al Qaeda, was imprisoned in 2011 for 15 years for his links to