Thursday, February 24, 2011

Indonesia cleric Abu Bakar Bashir tells court that arms training is God's will

INDONESIAN cleric Abu Bakar Bashir told a court Thursday that Muslims have a religious duty to take up arms against non-believers, as he offered his first defence against terrorism charges. The cleric who is regarded as a spiritual leader of Islamist militants around the region is accused of leading an Al-Qaeda-style militant group that was discovered training recruits in Aceh province last year. Police jostled with about 200 of the frail 72-year-old's radical supporters as he arrived under tight guard amid shouts of "Allahu akbar" ... The cleric is an alleged co-founder of the Jemaah Islamiyah regional terror organisation blamed...

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