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| Southeast Asia |
| Smiling assassin Amrozi to testify |
| 2006-04-18 |
| INDONESIAN authorities fear supporters of radical Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir may attack foreigners when death row Bali bomber Amrozi makes a rare court appearance on Bashir's behalf tomorrow. Amrozi – nicknamed the "smiling assassin" because he laughed at the carnage caused by the 2002 Bali bombs – will appear under heavy police guard in Cilacap court in south Java to help Bashir's lawyers push for a review of the cleric's terror conviction. The appearance may the last in public before Amrozi is executed by firing squad. The Cilacap court is close to the maximum security Nusakambangan island prison, dubbed "Indonesia's Alcatraz". It is there that Amrozi and two co-conspirators – Imam Samudra and older brother Ali Gufron – are awaiting execution for masterminding the deadly attack. More than 30 police will be on guard when Amrozi is driven to the court in an armoured car early tomorrow morning after making the short trip by ferry from the prison island. Scores of former students from Bashir's Ngruki Islamic boarding college – which has been denounced as a finishing school for terrorists – live in the Cilacap area. Prison officials fear they may gather in force and attack foreign court observers. "We will have a police intelligence officer assigned to every foreigner," a senior court official said. "We have to make sure that each foreigner is safe." Bashir was sentenced last March to 30 months in prison for his involvement in the conspiracy that led to the 2002 Bali bombings, which killed 88 Australians among 202 victims. But prosecutors relied heavily on testimony from another prisoner jailed for his role in the bombings, Mubarok, who told authorities that he and Amrozi met Bashir at the cleric's home two months before the attack. When told about the bomb plans in his role as "emir" or spiritual head of the Jemaah Islamiah terrorist group, Mubarok said Bashir told the pair: "It's up to you. You are the ones who know the situation on the ground". Amrozi signed an affidavit early last year denying this was ever said. Bashir's lawyer Ahmad Michdan said Amrozi's statement in court would be used as evidence of Bashir's innocence to be given to the peak Supreme Court in Jakarta. "Ustadz (honoured cleric) Bashir was detained based on this," Mr Michdan said. "If it's not true, then it's illegal to detain Ustadz." Bashir has always denied any involvement in terrorism. Although he has only a small base of supporters, he has won sympathy from some senior Indonesians with his claims of persecution due to foreign meddling and because he campaigns for Indonesia to become a strict Islamic state. Australia and the US have publicly accused him of being a key militant leader. The US Treasury last week declared Bashir was a terrorist and said any bank accounts or other financial assets held by Bashir and found in the US would be frozen. Bashir's aide Fauzan Al-Ansory, said the accusations were malicious slander and a "dirty trick aimed at making up reasons for re-arrest". Mr Michdan said Bashir's impending release from jail in June was unimportant, because his reputation was at stake. "It's never too late," he said. "Ustadz Abu has been constantly challenging the case against him since he was arrested. "This just shows he respects the legal system even though he was tortured." The Malaysian-born Bashir was arrested a week after the 2002 bombings but escaped terrorism charges and was instead jailed for minor immigration offences. Police, citing fresh evidence, rearrested him in April 2004 amid rioting by his supporters outside the Jakarta jail where Bashir completed his sentence. Amrozi, Samudra and Mukhlas last week moved closer to the firing squad when their families ruled out asking Indonesia's President for clemency. The three were moved to Nusakambangan last year for security reasons after thousands of Balinese demanded their immediate execution following triple suicide bombings. |
| Posted by:Oztralian |
| #3 Back when gas chambers were used for execution in the States, smiles were rather fleeting once the smoke began to rise. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2006-04-18 17:06 |
| #2 Of course he's smiling. He's the only one in Indonesia with decent teeth. |
| Posted by: ed 2006-04-18 16:48 |
| #1 RBees will never forget. 2002 Bali Bombing, OVER 200 Killed and 300 wounded Supreme Jasshatti Abu Bakar Bashir aka 'Shinny Teeths'  * Amrozi – nicknamed the 'smiling assassin' because he laughed at the carnage caused by the 2002 Bali bombs. "Disco" Amrozi  Amrozi, pleased with himself  * The 'Holy' Bali bomb 'commander' imam Samudra  The Bali bombing 'mastermind' 43-year-old Muslim preacher 'Mukhlas'and Ali Gufron  idris, Aged 35 "logistic expert"  Ali Imron Aged 33  At least 30 connected w/ Bali Bombing, Linky |
| Posted by: RD 2006-04-18 16:46 |