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| Southeast Asia |
| Bashir sez he can't go to interrogation; he has a stomick ache... |
| 2002-10-18 |
| A leading suspect who had agreed to turn himself in for questioning by the police was instead taken to a hospital after his lawyer said he had collapsed. Oh? Did God strike him dead on the spot? The police had summoned the suspect, Abu Bakar Bashir, a 64-year-old Muslim cleric who heads Jemaah Islamiyah, to appear on Saturday and answer questions about purported links to Al Qeada and participation in several terrorist actions. Dear President Sukarnoputri,American officials, who believe that the Jemaah Islamiyah organization was involved in the Bali bombing, were confident that after more than a year of imploring the Indonesian government to take action against terrorists, Jakarta was about to comply. I'm not... The fix is in. They'll be busy as beavers until the smoke clears, and when it's all over nothing will change... However, less than an hour after Mr. Bashir, with customary bravado, said at a news conference that he would appear in Jakarta for the questioning, he was taken to the hospital. "He's sick, he's tired," said the lawyer, Mahendradatta. "He is not going Jakarta tomorrow," Mr. Mahendradatta said by telephone from Solo. What an act of incredible bravery! That's zackly what we'd expect of an Islamist holy man. Remember when Qazi had to be let out of jug because his little heart was going pitty-pat? This appears to be an Islamist tradition... It was a stunning move for a man who has made a reputation for openly boasting of his admiration for Osama bin Laden — at Friday prayers today, Mr. Bashir said he prayed for him — and has threatened lawsuits against journalists and foreign leaders who have accused him of terrorist links. Mr. Bashir's hospitalization was met with great skepticism among Indonesians, who recalled that the tactic had been tried by others facing judicial proceedings in Indonesia. "Abu's a pu-u-u-u-tz! Abu's a pu-u-u-u-tz! Nyah! Nyah!" |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #1 "Dear President Sukarnoputri, Please excuse Abu from interrogation on Saturday. He has a stomache ache. Thank you, Abu's Mom (Mrs Bashir)" With apologies to "Welcome Back, Kotter", lol! |
| Posted by: Raj 2002-10-18 15:54:47 |