Abu Bakar Bashir to Be Re-Arrested

[RoyGBiv]

Abu Bakar Bashir to Be Re-Arrested
By LELY T. DJUHARI, Associated Press Writer

JAKARTA, Indonesia - The suspected spiritual leader of the al-Qaida-linked Jemaah Islamiyah terror group will be re-arrested after he is released from jail on Friday, a police spokesman announced. The cleric's supporters have vowed to resist the move.

Indonesian authorities earlier said Abu Bakar Bashir would walk free when his 18-month term for minor immigration offenses ends Friday, despite protests from the United States and Australia, which insist he's a terrorist.

National police spokesman Maj. Gen. Bashir Ahmad Barmawi said Thursday that there is new evidence against Bashir, including witness testimony about him attending a ceremony at a militant training center in the southern Philippines in April 2000.

"Investigators will detain Bashir after he is released from the Salemba Detention Center on April 30 because police already have strong evidence about his activities," Barmawi told reporters.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=516&ncid=721&e=10&u=/ap/20040429/ap_on_re_as/indonesia_militant_cleric