By IANS/AKI,
Jakarta : Radical Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Bashir was Thursday sentenced to 15 years in prison following his conviction for supporting a training camp for Islamist militants.
Bashir, 72, was found guilty of helping organise a jihadi camp in Aceh province in Sumatra to train militants to attack government targets.
Prosecutors had earlier sought a life sentence.
Bashir denied any role in terrorist activities, calling his case a “western conspiracy”.
“My trial is not a regular trial. It is a battle against Islam. It is a battle between defenders of Islam and defenders of evil,” he said.
His arrest in August last year came after a training camp was raided.
Bashir was also linked to the 2002 bombings in Bali island that killed more than 200 people. He was, however, not found guilty.
He headed the Al-Mukmin Islamic boarding school in Ngruki, Java, and Islamic group Jamaah Anshorud Tauhid.