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| Southeast Asia |
| Indonesian terror suspect sez he was framed |
| 2003-08-21 |
| A radical Islamic cleric accused of heading an al-Qaida-linked terror network in Asia wept in court Thursday as he accused the Indonesian government of framing him on charges of treason and plotting to assassinate its president. "Nope. Nope. Wudn’t me." With tears in his eyes, Abu Bakar Bashir denied any wrongdoing and said authorities in neighboring Singapore and Malaysia had tortured witnesses to testify against him. "Look, I’m cryin’ here." Indonesian prosecutors say that under his leadership Jemaah Islamiyah plotted to kill President Megawati Sukarnoputri with the wider aim of establishing an Islamic state in Indonesia. ``I never had any intention to kill Megawati,’’ Bashir said. ``This is just slander.’’ "I’m just a humble holy man, and besides, she was standing in the way of my Caliphate...er, I mean, lies, all lies!" A defense lawyer asked the court Thursday to call Riduan Isamuddin to testify in Bashir’s trial. Isamuddin, also known as Hambali, is believed to have masterminded the Bali and Marriott bombings. ``Hambali’s testimony is compulsory, because his name was mentioned in the indictment,’’ said Muhammad Assegaf. ``His testimony is very important.’’ Hambali was captured in a raid by the CIA and Thai police on an apartment where he was hiding in a town just outside Bangkok. U.S. authorities are interrogating him in an undisclosed location. Hambali’s giving testimony...ummm...somewhere else right now. Then he’s scheduled to be deposed by the Indon JAG office. Take a number and have a seat... |
| Posted by:seafarious |
| #4 wait til he finds ou that there was a translation error: "Raisins? they give me the runs! Where's my virgins?" |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-8-21 4:34:27 PM |
| #3 I think he is afraid that if he is martyred now - after the Iraq war -. All the high-quality virgins might be gone. |
| Posted by: Steve D 2003-8-21 4:23:23 PM |
| #2 Bashir's a classic terrorist coward. What a pathetic excuse for a human - in every regard. And he's only facing 15 years - for treason - a good reason to be wary of letting the Indos prosecute HamBall. I'll bet big bucks that Bashir shit himself when he found out that HamBall had been taken - and not by some friendly asshats, like the Malaysians. ;-> Gutless shithead. |
| Posted by: .com 2003-8-21 3:52:17 PM |
| #1 Hambali huh? Pretty bad when you have to get a mass-murderer to give you a character reference |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-8-21 3:06:22 PM |