Indonesian Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir has emotionally denied any knowledge of the terror group he is accused of leading and said the "terrorist state of America" had stage-managed his treason trial.
Bashir, in a fiery defence speech, also warned judges they will go to hell if they convict him and told prosecutors to repent for aiding "the infidel enemies of Islam."
Prosecutors say Bashir heads the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) regional terror group, which is believed linked to al-Qaeda. JI is blamed for a string of deadly bombings in recent years, including the Bali attack last October which killed 202 people and this month's hotel Jakarta hotel blast in which 12 people died.
Bashir, who wept at one point, said "hypocrite" states such as the US, Australia and Singapore had targeted him because he wants Islamic sharia law in Indonesia. "The hypocrites and the secular, if they are entrusted with government power, their programmes are to destroy Islam, arrest people who are fighting for Islamic sharia, set up stage-managed trials so that they can detain them as long as possible or kill them," he said.
Supporters greeted Bashir, who faces a 20-year jail term if convicted, with shouts of "Allhu Akbar!" (God is great) as he entered the packed court.
The 65-year-old white-bearded cleric is accused of trying to topple Indonesia's secular government through a JI terror campaign. He is accused of approving the bombing of churches and priests which killed 19 people on Christmas Eve 2000 and of ordering a plot, which was never carried out, to assassinate Megawati Sukarnoputri before she became president.
Bashir denied any involvement in bombings or a plot against Megawati and said he knows nothing about "what is called" JI. "The police have listened to the US, Singapore and Australia rather than the voice of Muslims," he said.
Bashir described his trial as a useless exercise. "My hunch is there is intervention from outside, the enemies of Islam, the government of the terrorist state America. The government of this country [Indonesia] is afraid of [US] intervention and has become the extension of the terrorist government of America," he said. "By Allah, I have never been appointed emir [leader] of what is called JI," Bashir added, saying he knows nothing of any such group.
Bashir said the televised testimony of JI suspects detained in Singapore was made under duress and the teleconference was funded by the "evil kingdom" of Singapore. Suspects detained in Malaysia and Singapore testified via TV that they believe Bashir heads JI and would have known of its bombing plots.
One of them, Faiz Abu Bakar Bafana, said in June he had met Bashir in the Indonesian city of Solo and that the cleric had approved the church bombings. Bafana said Bashir also ordered the plot against Megawati.
Bashir, dressed in a long white shirt and Muslim skullcap, denied any such meeting in Solo. "Do you know that because of your actions the infidel enemies of Islam are cheering while Muslims are sad?" he told prosecutors.
He warned the bench that "judges who pass a wrong decision because of their ignorance will go to hell." Bashir also told the court that "Allah will scuttle the conspiracy of infidels.
"Human beings without Islam are like cattle in the eyes of Allah. They always create destruction. Fighting for sharia is everything. To die in the path of Allah is better than to live in sin."
Bashir is not accused over the Bali attack but questioned the ability of key suspects to have built such a huge bomb. His lawyers were to read their statement after lunch.