Heru Andriyanto – A militant known as a close aide to firebrand cleric Abu Bakar Bashir was sentenced to four and a half years in jail on Friday for raising funds to finance paramilitary training in Aceh.

Abdul Haris, the Jakarta branch head of Bashir's Jamaah Anshorut Tauhid, was found guilty of collecting at least Rp 350 million from donors for the Aceh camp.

"The crime is against the government's anti-terrorism program," presiding judge Didiek Setyo Handono told the South Jakarta District Court.

The sentence was half of what the prosecution recommended. "The defendant has been polite and honest during the trial, he has never been convicted of a crime before and he's the breadwinner for his family."

The defendant accompanied Bashir in separate meetings with two donors – Dr. Syarif Usman in Banten and businessman Haryadi Usman – in Bekasi. He played video footage of the paramilitary activities in the mountains in Aceh to convince the donors, the judge said.

Syarif and Haryadi handed Abdul Rp 200 million and Rp 150 million respectively to be used for a jihad training program, the judge said.

The Aceh camp, who calls itself Takjim Al Qaeda Serambi Mekah (the Al Qaeda of the Veranda of Mecca) is aimed at expelling America and its allies from the country, said the panel.

"I don't think what I did was wrong," Abdul told reporters after the hearing. He said he had not yet decided whether to appeal the decision.

Syarif's verdict was slated to be delivered later on Friday.