Convicted terrorist Abu Bakar Bashir has denounced the police’s "lenient" action against members of a Papuan pro-independence group allegedly plotting a coordinated bombing attack, calling it proof that the government was waging war against Islam. Hasyim Abdullah, a lawyer for the firebrand cleric, said on Tuesday that Bashir was infuriated at the “unfairness” between his treatment and the handling of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) members who were reportedly planning a series of bombings in the province last week.
He said, "This is proof that the police have acted unfairly [toward Bashir]. If it was Muslims arrested plotting that kind of thing, they would be branded terrorists and charged under the Anti-Terrorism Law. But because theyÂ’re not Muslims, they arenÂ’t called terrorists and they donÂ’t face terrorism charges."
The nine KNPB members arrested last Saturday have all been charged with the illegal possession of firearms and explosives. They are alleged to have been behind a foiled scheme to bomb several key government targets in Wamena last Friday. The alleged targets included a municipal police station, two military bases, a ward office next to the district police headquarters, and the Baliem Bridge.
During the operations to derail the coordinated attack and arrest the alleged perpetrators, police seized plastic explosives, pipe bombs, detonators, Molotov cocktails and gasoline. They also found Rp 13.6 million in cash and the banned Morning Star flag used by separatist groups.
A human rights group has disputed the veracity of the police report, calling the evidence "fabricated." The KNPB has historically been considered a peaceful pro-independence group.
But Hasyim said that Bashir thought the wealth of evidence warranted far more serious charges than those under the Emergency Law. He said, “It’s simply not fair. The war on terror that is being waged by the government of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is nothing less than an attack on Islam. If the perpetrators aren’t Muslim, the punishment is very different."
Police have downplayed the clericÂ’s latest outburst, saying his claims are unfounded.
Sr. Comr. Agus Rianto, a National Police spokesman, said Bashir was labeled a terrorist because the cases for which he was convicted were terrorist acts. He added it was still too early in the investigation into the Wamena case to be able to classify it as either a terrorist incident or a separatist incident.