A radical cleric linked to the Bali nightclub bombings was freed from prison on Friday, stirring grief and anger among victims nearly two decades after 202 people were killed in Indonesia's worst terror attack.
Abu Bakar Bashir, 82, is seen as the spiritual leader of Islamist terror network Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), which was responsible for the massive blasts that ripped through a pair of packed bars in October 2002.
Many of the victims were foreign tourists and included 28 Britons and 88 Australians among the dead.
The firebrand preacher was released after completing an unrelated jail term for helping fund militant training in Indonesia's conservative Aceh province.
But he has long been suspected of involvement in the horrific holiday island bombings, which came just a year after the 9/11 attacks on the United States.
A van with Bashir inside left Gunung Sindur prison near the capital Jakarta at around 5.30am on Friday, accompanied by members of Indonesia's elite counter-terrorism squad.
His release will be warmly welcomed by ... former JI followers as he is still seen as a senior figure in the radical movement in Indonesia
Bashir was expected to return to his hometown, Solo city.
Sentenced to 15 years in 2011, his term was later cut due to sentencing reductions handed to most prisoners in Indonesia.
Bashir had been previously jailed over the Bali nightclub bombings, but that conviction was quashed on appeal.
He has repeatedly denied involvement and his exact role remains unclear.
"But he had to have approved it either directly or indirectly," said Jakarta-based security analyst Sidney Jones.
The Bali bombings prompted Jakarta to strengthen cooperation with the US and Australia on counter-terrorism.
Indonesian security forces largely dismantled JI in the years after the 2002 attacks, and a subsequent 2005 bombing on the holiday island.
There have been signs of the network's resurgence in recent years, although Bashir's influence has waned, Ms Jones said.
"But his release will be warmly welcomed by... former JI followers as he is still seen as a senior figure in the radical movement in Indonesia," she added.
Bashir's lawyers had appealed for his release citing his age and risk of contracting Covid-19 in the South-East Asian nation's overcrowded prison system.
The cleric refused to renounce his extremist views in exchange for leniency when the government considered releasing him early two years ago.
The plan was shelved after a backlash at home and in Australia, which lost 88 of its citizens in the Bali attacks.
News of Bashir's release brought back the "horror of the memories" for Jan Laczynski, 51.
Mr Laczynski was drinking with friends at the Sari Club before flying back to Australia. Hours later, five of his friends were among the hundreds killed as a string of huge bombs ripped through the district.
"It hurts me a lot. I wanted to see justice done," he told AFP from Melbourne.
"There are still people even next week having operations for their burns; people are still suffering."
Thiolina Ferawati Marpaung suffered permanent eye injuries after she was hit by glass from the massive explosions, that also killed scores of Indonesians and holidaymakers from more than 20 countries.
"His release makes me feel uneasy," the Bali resident said.
"I pray [Bashir] will become a better person after he is released... Still, I hope authorities will watch him carefully."
Bashir's son, Abdul Rohim, described his father as a "victim" of extremist ideology, but said the family would try to soften his hardline views.
"It's going to be difficult to restrict who he'll meet with later though because we don't want to create the impression that the family has put him back in prison again," the Islamic school teacher said.
Mr Laczynski urged authorities to make sure Bashir is not afforded any platform to spread his violent message.
"He hasn't changed in jail, if anything he's got worse," he said.
"He will always be preaching his evil and this evil has to stop."
Several JI members implicated in the attacks were later executed or killed in confrontations with Indonesian authorities.
Al-Qaeda-linked JI was founded by a handful of exiled Indonesian militants in neighbouring Malaysia in the 1980s and grew to include cells across South-East Asia.
The extremist group has been blamed for other attacks including a 2003 car bomb at the JW Marriott hotel in Jakarta and a suicide car bomb the following year outside the Australian embassy.
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THE DETAILS
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Director: Ron Howard
2/5
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
The view from The National
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
Types of policy
Term life insurance: this is the cheapest and most-popular form of life cover. You pay a regular monthly premium for a pre-agreed period, typically anything between five and 25 years, or possibly longer. If you die within that time, the policy will pay a cash lump sum, which is typically tax-free even outside the UAE. If you die after the policy ends, you do not get anything in return. There is no cash-in value at any time. Once you stop paying premiums, cover stops.
Whole-of-life insurance: as its name suggests, this type of life cover is designed to run for the rest of your life. You pay regular monthly premiums and in return, get a guaranteed cash lump sum whenever you die. As a result, premiums are typically much higher than one term life insurance, although they do not usually increase with age. In some cases, you have to keep up premiums for as long as you live, although there may be a cut-off period, say, at age 80 but it can go as high as 95. There are penalties if you don’t last the course and you may get a lot less than you paid in.
Critical illness cover: this pays a cash lump sum if you suffer from a serious illness such as cancer, heart disease or stroke. Some policies cover as many as 50 different illnesses, although cancer triggers by far the most claims. The payout is designed to cover major financial responsibilities such as a mortgage or children’s education fees if you fall ill and are unable to work. It is cost effective to combine it with life insurance, with the policy paying out once if you either die or suffer a serious illness.
Income protection: this pays a replacement income if you fall ill and are unable to continue working. On the best policies, this will continue either until you recover, or reach retirement age. Unlike critical illness cover, policies will typically pay out for stress and musculoskeletal problems such as back trouble.
Match info
Arsenal 0
Manchester City 2
Sterling (14'), Bernardo Silva (64')
Boulder shooting victims
• Denny Strong, 20
• Neven Stanisic, 23
• Rikki Olds, 25
• Tralona Bartkowiak, 49
• Suzanne Fountain, 59
• Teri Leiker, 51
• Eric Talley, 51
• Kevin Mahoney, 61
• Lynn Murray, 62
• Jody Waters, 65
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Results
5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Nadhra, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: AF Dars, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: AF Musannef, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: AF Taghzel, Malin Holmberg, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: M’Y Yaromoon, Khalifa Al Neyadi, Jesus Rosales
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (PA) 1,400m; Winner: Hakeem, Jim Crowley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
