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Muslim cleric Ba’asyir funded terrorism in Aceh
by Mathias Hariyadi
Documents showing cleric’s involvement are found. Jailed terror suspect, Ubaid Lutfi Haedaroh, says Abu Bakar Ba’asyir paid out almost US$ 120,000 to extremist organisations. Money reached Haedaroh but also Dulmatin, Indonesia’s number one terror suspect.
Jakarta (AsiaNews) – Documentary evidence and witness statements show that Abu Bakar Ba’asyir, the extremist Muslim cleric arrested on 9 August in Banjar Patroman, West Java, on terrorism charges, is guilty, police spokesman General Iskander Hasan said after Ubaid Lutfi Haedaroh, a jailed terror suspect told his story. “Haedaroh’s fresh testimony is supported by other evidence such as documents that connect Ba’asyir to the terror network,” General Hasan explained.
According to Haedaroh, his first meeting with Ba’asyir took place in Solo, Central Java, in March 2009. On the occasion, the cleric received a request from Dulmatin, Indonesia’s number one terror fugitive, to open a training camp in Aceh.
Once the best location for the camp was found, Ba’asyir funded Haedaroh to the tune of 997.5 million rupiahs (US$ 110,000) plus US$ 5,100.
The money was channelled to Haedaroh and Dulmatin through someone identified as Toyib—the treasurer of Jemaah Anshorut Tauhid, an extremist Islamic organisation headed by Ba’asyir himself.
In addition to the aforementioned charges, Ba’asyir is also thought to be the leader of Al-Qaidah, a terrorist cell in Aceh, and Al-Qaeda’s man in Southeast Asia.