Cleric cleared in Indonesia bomb cases

JAKARTA, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- An Indonesian court cleared a militant Muslim cleric of involvement in a pair of terrorist bombings.

The Supreme Court on Thursday overturned a guilty verdict against Abu Bakar Bashir after determining that witness testimony did not link him to the bombers, the Kyodo news service reported.

The attacks in the resort area of Bali in 2002 killed more than 200 people while a 2003 bombing at a Marriott hotel in Jakarta left a dozen people dead.

Bashir is reputedly a leader of Jemaah Islamiyah, which is believed to be a branch of al-Qaida operating in Southeast Asia. Bashir has denied the allegations.