Excellent, Smithers.
Posted on 02/25/2004 11:47:34 AM PST by knighthawk
An Indonesian court has jailed the acting head of the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) regional terror group for three-and-a-half years.
Abu Rusdan was found guilty of shielding key Bali bomber Mukhlas from justice.
Prosecutors had sought a nine-year sentence while the charge was punishable by up to 15 years under an anti-terror law.
"The verdict is clearly tyrannical and the next legal effort is to appeal," Rusdan told reporters.
"I will take everyone who acted tyranically against me to the court of Allah."
Rusdan's lawyer Ahmad Michdan said he would appeal.
Judge Mahmud Rahimi said Rusdan, who is also known as Thoriqudin, had been proven guilty "of intentionally providing facilities and hiding information on a crime of terrorism".
"Allahu Akbar!" (God is greatest) shouted at least 100 supporters as the verdict was passed.
Rusdan was accused of failing to report Mukhlas to authorities after Mukhlas claimed responsibility for the Bali bombings at a JI meeting in Central Java on October 17, 2002 - five days after the attack.
The Al Qaeda-linked JI is blamed for a string of bombings, including the Bali attack which killed 202 people and the Marriott hotel bombing in Jakarta last August which killed 12.
Rusdan, a veteran of the anti-Soviet guerrilla struggle in Afghanistan, was not charged over his leadership role in JI since it is still not a banned organisation in Indonesia.
Rusdan, who was arrested in April last year, has admitted having been appointed JI's caretaker chief in April 2002 but has said he had no real power and was not involved in violence.
He said he did not hear any remark by Mukhlas at the meeting in question.
Mukhlas has been convicted separately of giving final authorisation for the Bali bombings.
He is appealing against a death sentence.
Excellent, Smithers.
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