Suspected Bali Bomb Mastermind Abu Bakar Bashir To Be Released By Indonesia ‘On Humanitarian Grounds’

Radical Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, the alleged mastermind behind the bombings in Bali back in 2002, will be given early release from jail on humanitarian grounds, President of Indonesia has said.

Bashir, 81, is considered as the spiritual leader of the radical group Jemaah Islamiah (JI) and had been convicted nine years ago for having links with militant training camps in Aceh. The jail time was 15 years.

President Joko Widodo’s re-election is in April and this move is seen to be political. The Hindu quoted Widodo as saying, “The first reason is humanitarian. He is elderly and his health is also a consideration.”

About 200 people lost their lives during the bombings, most of them being Australian. Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison said, “Australia's position on this matter has not changed, we've always expressed the deepest of reservations,” The Hindu reported.

After the attacks, US-Australia backed elite anti-terrorism squad called Densus 88 had been set up in Indonesia. Security concerns are a major worry for the officials as the cleric holds influence in radical networks.

Back in 2016, the police had moved the cleric from a maximum-security prison on Nusakambangan island in Central Java to Bogor.