Indonesian prosecutors on Friday formally charged militant Islamic cleric Abu Bakar Bashir with involvement in a suicide bombing at Jakarta’s JW Marriott hotel. His trial is expected to begin in about two weeks, Yunda Hasbi, an official at the South Jakarta district court told reporters.If found guilty, Abu Bakar could face the death penalty under Indonesia’s anti-terrorism law. Prosecutors are expected to focus on his alleged leadership of Jemaah Islamiyah, an extremist group authorities say has ties to Al-Qaeda.The 65-page indictment accuses the white-bearded Abu Bakar, 66, of planning or inciting others to terrorism or helping them carry out an “explosion which endangered or cost the lives of others.” Prosecutors accuse him of providing assistance to terrorists and withholding information about terrorist acts. Hasbi told reporters that Abu Bakar was “implicated in the Marriott bombing” as well as other bombings, but not the October, 2002 Bali attacks in which 202 people were killed.The August, 2003, suicide car bombing at the US-franchised Marriott hotel in Jakarta killed 11 Indonesians and a Dutch bank.Full Story
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