Radical cleric Abu Bakar Bashir backs Bali bombers, vows to enforce Islamic law in Indonesia

Bashir said the 2002 attack that killed 202 people was wrong, but that he believes the culprits executed for their roles in the bombings were trying to ‘get rid of sinful deeds’

The 84-year-old also called for establishing an Islamic state in Indonesia, saying that is the only way to practice perfect Islamic law

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Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Bashir. File photo: AP

Published: 11:01am, 11 Oct 2022Updated: 11:04am, 11 Oct 2022

A radical Indonesian Muslim cleric, thought to be behind the 2002 terrorist bombings that killed 202 people on the resort island of Bali, said in a recent interview that he still believes Indonesia should implement Islamic law, vowing to work to make it happen.

Abu Bakar Bashir, 84, who was freed last year after serving time in a separate case for funding a militant training camp, spoke with Kyodo News last month near Solo on the main island of Java ahead of the bombings’ 20th anniversary on Wednesday.

Bashir is the alleged spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiah, a militant group to which the perpetrators of the Bali attack belonged. The group is also linked to the international terrorism network al-Qaeda.

The attack on Bali nightclubs crowded with foreign tourists killed 88 Australians, the most among foreign nations. Two Japanese also died. Indonesia experienced a slew of terror attacks in subsequent years, including the bombing of an upscale hotel in Jakarta in 2003 that killed 12 people.

Days after the Bali attack, Bashir was arrested over a separate case and later imprisoned. After being released in 2004, he was sent to prison again in 2005 for conspiracy over the Bali bombings but was acquitted by the Supreme Court the following year.