Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Bashir has been released from a Jakarta prison, where he served two years for conspiracy in the 2002 Bali bombings. Bashir is viewed by the West as the spiritual leader of the regional militant network, Jemaah Islamiah. He has now been taken back to his home town of Solo in West Java. Yet already questions are being asked about the impact of Abu Bakar Bashir's release on counter-terrorism operations in southeast Asia.

Professor Zachary Abuzer, specialist on terror links in southeast Asia, who's on leave from Simmons College in Boston

Presenter/Interviewer: Sen Lam

Abuza: In terms of the impact on terrorism, I don't think it will be tremendous. I don't believe that Abu Bakar Bashir will be in a position where he will be able to authorise or command terrorist attacks. But it's a very important topic and a victory. He will be a media superstar in the country for the coming weeks. There will be a lot of news about his release and he has made it very clear that he's going on a road show to promote a book about his internment and so I think this will give a lot of a voice and really empower the Islamists in the country.

Lam: You think that prison has lent him greater credibility amongst the Jihadist groups?

Abuza: Oh, absolutely and it certainly didn't stop him from doing what he was doing. His sermons were being recorded. He was holding audiences. He had a secretary while in prison. So he believes and many Islamists would agree with this that he was in prison because of diplomatic interference by the Australian and American governments and so that probably gives him even greater credibility.

Lam: Abu Bakar Bashir I understand is still head of the Mujahadeen Council of Indonesia?

Abuza: Yes.

Lam: Is there any significance in that, given that the MMI is an umbrella body for groups that are longing for a theocratic state in Indonesia?

Abuza: Oh I think it's very important. The MMI was growing in strength considerably in 2000, 2001, 2002. For their National Congress in 2003, they had actually invited and the vice president of the country had accepted an invitation to speak. He cancelled at the last minute, right after the Marriot bombing in August 2003. And a lot of analysts wrote the MMI off and said that it was really no longer an important organisation. I disagree and I think that it's continued to be a very important umbrella organisation. It now is going to have its very charismatic head back in control and they're slowly getting their agenda pushed through.

Lam: So given the sensitive situation, what options are open to the Indonesian Government and indeed the neighbouring Australian Government, which of course has been following Bashir's impending release with some concern?

Abuza: Certainly. The Indonesian Government seems fairly non plussed about it. They said that they're not going to restrict any of his travel or movement. They said that they will keep an eye on him to a degree, but he is a free man. Legally, there's very little that they're going to do to him. JI is not an illegal organisation in Indonesia, and unless he can be linked to a terrorist attack, they will do nothing, and I don't believe that the Indonesian Government is going to criminalise JI as an organisation any time soon.

The US Government in April this year, had designated Abu Bakar Bashir as a terrorist financier and put him on the foreign terrorist organisation designation list and he's also been designated by the United Nations as a terrorist financier. To that end, Indonesia has a legal obligation to make sure noone can donate money to him or his organisations.

Lam: It might be worthwhile to remind our listeners that Abu Bakar Bashir was convicted not of any criminal activity or terrorist activity, but for being part of a conspiracy and in fact for his influence if you like. Would that be a fair assessment?

Abuza: No, that's a very accurate assessment. The Indonesian Government has shown a very strong determination to go after members of JI that they can clearly link to terrorist attacks, but they've been unwilling to go after people within the organisation who are simply politically very protected like Abu Bakar Bashir. And so really since mid 2003, JI has not had a spiritual leader and I think that the fact that Bashir has been released will be a very important for the organisation.

Lam: What is your view of his role? Do you think that Abu Bakar Bashir really has it in him or has this belief in him that he wants to destroy America, that he wants to destroy Western institutions?

Abuza: Oh there's no doubt in my mind. He's made it very clear in his speeches that Australia, the United States, Britain, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, these governments should be attacked and brought down and he is just not even hidden his contempt for Western society and secularly institutions.