Indonesia frees Bali bombing cleric

JAKARTA, June 14 (UPI) -- Indonesia on Wednesday freed a radical Islamic cleric who was linked to two deadly 2002 terror bombings in Bali after he served one year in prison.

Abu Bakar Bashir, 67, was sentenced to 30 months in jail for his role in the October 2002 attacks on two hotels, but was released after being given credit for previous time served and good behavior, The New York Times reported.

In March 2005, Bashir was acquitted of seven terrorism charges but he was found guilty of a "sinister conspiracy" as leader of the al-Qaida-linked Jemaah Islamiyah organization. The judges said Bashir "knew the perpetrators," and that his words might have encouraged them.

The U.S. and Australian governments claim Bashir had a direct role in the bombings of the Bali nightclubs and of the bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta that killed 12 people in August 2003.

"The possibility that a person responsible for such a terrible crime could go free after a light sentence of 30 months is cause for concern," said U.S. Embassy spokesman Max Kwak in Jakarta.