Dicky Christanto and Apriadi Gunawan, Jakarta/medan – Police said Thursday they had evidence suggesting firebrand Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir may have masterminded a recent deadly bank heist and an attack on a police post in North Sumatra.

National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Iskandar Hasan said his office had evidence that Ba'asyir had visited Hamparan Perak in North Sumatra twice earlier this year to preach at private gatherings. "He preached about why the use of violence was justified as long as it served the good of religion," Iskandar said.

In a holdup of a CIMB Niaga bank branch in Medan, North Sumatra, on Aug. 18, robbers shot dead a police officer before fleeing with Rp 300 million (US$33,100).

A month later on Sept. 22, armed men attacked the Hamparan Perak police precinct, killing three officers in an apparent retaliation for the killing and arrests of their colleagues involved in the bank robbery.

Ba'asyir was arrested in West Java and taken into police custody on Aug. 10, two days before the fasting month of Ramadan, on charges of involvement in fund-raising activities for an Islamic militant training camp in Jantho, Aceh province, that police raided earlier.

Ba'asyir was found guilty by the South Jakarta District Court in 2005 of conspiracy in the 2002 Bali bombing that killed 202 people and was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison.

But in December 2006, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Ba'asyir after an appeal. Ba'asyir at the time was the chairman of the Indonesian Mujahidin Council.

When asked why Ba'asyir endorsed such criminal acts as robbery and killing, Iskandar said it was an efficient means to recruit fanatics who were interested in following in the cleric's radical footsteps.

"We got this information from gang members in police custody. Although Ba'asyir did not directly order the crimes, he passed on to his congregation his wrong interpretation [of the Koran]," Iskandar said.

Police said that through Ubaid Al Lutfi Haidaroh, one of his confidants, Ba'asyir had contributed more than $5,000 to the establishment of the Aceh training facility. They added that Ba'asyir also held several fund-raisers to help establish the camp.

Ubaid, who was also arrested in Aceh, is expected to stand trial soon in Jakarta.

Iskandar said police were collecting more evidence about Ba'asyir's possible involvement in the Medan robbery and the attack on the police precinct.

As of Thursday, police had arrested 25 people as well as shot dead several others they believed were involved in the two incidents.

Commenting on the latest development, Mahendradatta, one of Ba'asyir's lawyers, said the police suspicion of his client was a baseless and misleading attempt at discrediting the cleric's reputation.

Meanwhile in North Sumatra, police and Army officers on Thursday combed an area believed to be the training ground of suspected terrorists at the foot of Mount Sinabung, Karo regency. The area has been on heightened alert following volcanic eruptions last month.

The manhunt was conducted following a series of gunshots believed to have come from the terrorist suspects.

North Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Oegroseno said the search had been conducted for the past two days. "The team is still tracing the gunshots. So far it is not clear who fired the shots, but we will continue to comb the area to the peak of the mountain if we have to," Oegroseno said.

On Oct. 5, several residents and foreign tourists who were climbing the mountain heard gunshots. They then informed police, Oegroseno said.