JAKARTA, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- Indonesian militant cleric Abu Bakar Baasyir was to go on trial Thursday, accused in various bombings in the country.
If found guilty he could face a maximum sentence of death.
Baasyir was indicted for planning a suicide bombing outside the U.S-run Marriott hotel in Jakarta last year, as well as for his role in the October 2002 blasts in Bali that killed 202 people.
Baasyir, who has denied any links with the terror group Jemaah Islamiah was first arrested days after the Bali blasts amid suspicions he led JI and had ties to violent acts.
A court previously held there was not enough evidence to prove Baasyir led the group, and ultimately only convictions related to immigration violations were upheld.
Baasyir was re-arrested in late April, shortly after he concluded his 18-month prison sentence. Police now say they have enough evidence to charge the cleric with anti-terrorism laws in connection with the bombings.
JI, the al-Qaida-linked regional terror group, has been blamed not only for attacks in Indonesia, the world's fourth-most populous nation, but also for planned and actual violence across the Pacific Rim region.
