Treason for al Qaida cleric

Jakarta

The radical Muslim cleric suspected of plotting the deadly bombing of a Bali disco last year was charged with treason in Indonesia this week. Prosecutors said Abu Bakar Bashir, leader of the radical group Jamaah Islamiyah, had planned to overthrow the secular Indonesian government and establish an Islamic state. The indictment is a turnaround in policy for Indonesia, which has long resisted U.S. pressure to crack down on Jamaah Islamiyah. The U.S. says the group is linked with al Qaida. On top of the treason charge, Indonesia also charged Bashir with several church bombings and a plot to blow up the U.S. Embassy in Singapore.

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