Indonesian police re-arrested radical Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir moments after he stepped free from prison and said he would be charged with the Bali bombings and other terror attacks.
Paramilitary police in riot gear fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse hundreds of rock-throwing supporters outside Jakarta's Salemba jail before Bashir emerged after serving a sentence for immigration offences.
He was immediately detained under a tough anti-terror law which allows detention without trial for six months. "God's will must be accepted," the white-bearded cleric told reporters after he was taken to national police headquarters by armoured vehicle.
Police said Bashir, as alleged former leader of the Al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) network, would be charged with the Bali nightclub attacks which killed 202 people in October 2002. Most victims were young Western holidaymakers.
Asked what charges Bashir faced, national detective chief Suyatno Landung said: "Many cases from 1999 to 2002, [including] that one in Bali." Ansyaad Mbai, who heads the security ministry's anti-terrorism desk, told AFP Bashir would face charges relating to "terrorism cases in Indonesia, starting in 2000 until the Bali bombing and the Marriott bombing."
"The culprits are JI and JI is led by him. That is the connection," Mbai said. "Now the police have proof that Abu Bakar Bashir is the leader of JI." Mbai said an indictment would include the Bali blasts; the Marriott hotel bombing which killed 12 people in Jakarta last August; the Christmas Eve 2000 church bombings which killed 19 people and other attacks.
Pranowo, a director of the police anti-terrorism branch, said an arrest order was being prepared for a period of four months, according to Detikcom news service. "If necessary, it can be extended for another two months," he said.
The US, Australian and Singapore governments had expressed concern at Bashir's scheduled release. An appeal court last November overturned his conviction for involvement with a JI plot and upheld only minor immigration charges.
Australia's foreign ministry hailed the arrest as "a further sign of the Indonesian government's commitment to bring the perpetrators of terrorist violence to justice." But Muhammad Assegaf, one of Bashir's lawyers, described the new evidence cited by police as "nonsense" and criticised police tactics.
Some 600 police arrived at the prison before dawn. At first they tried to negotiate with an estimated 700 supporters shouting "Allahu Akbar!" (God is greatest). Water cannon began spraying the crowd, who responded with rocks and bottles. "We are ready to die as martyrs!" screamed some.
Police said 42 Bashir supporters, some with bloodied clothes, were arrested. News reports said nine Bashir followers were taken to hospital and 24 received first aid. Police said 32 of their officers needed hospital treatment after the clash, which left vehicle windows smashed and streets littered with debris.
Bashir, known for his fiery rhetoric against Washington and other perceived infidels, reacted calmly when shown the arrest warrant outside the jail. "Yes, sir," he said. "There is no problem." But another lawyer complained procedures had been violated. "This is not an arrest, this is kidnapping," said Achmad Khalid.
At police headquarters Bashir chatted with his attorneys as he waited for his questioning to begin, according to another member of his legal team, Muhammad Ali. "I'm sure ustadz [teacher] will refuse to answer any questions. He only wants to testify in court," Ali said.
Hardline and some mainstream Islamic groups, as well as Bashir himself, accuse Jakarta of bowing to US pressure to re-arrest him. At the Al-Mukmin Islamic boarding school which Bashir co-founded and which has numerous terror suspects among its alumni, the flag flew at half-mast, according to Antara news agency.
A court last September jailed Bashir for four years for involvement in a JI plot to overthrow the government but said there was no proof he led the network. An appeal court overturned the treason conviction but ruled that Bashir must serve three years for immigration-related offences. Last month the Supreme Court halved that sentence.