Terrorism Trial in Indonesia
By Kenneth Conboy
Muhammad Hasan (alias Fajar Taslim), the Singapore-born self-proclaimed leader of a terrorist cell arrested in Palembang, South Sumatra, said yesterday that he should be rewarded for plotting to stage a 9/11-style attack on Singapore's national airport. Hasan and six of his fellow militants are currently on trial in South Jakarta for killing a Christian teacher and planning bombing attacks. Hasan faces the heaviest sentence, 20 years.
Hasan does not deny being the leader of the group, but says he will not accept prosecution under a law prepared by infidels. He claims that that he is not guilty according to the Koran, as he was avenging the murder of Muslims in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine. "I must be freed and compensated for being illegally detained." Somehow, this does not seem likely.
