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Saudi national beats terror charge
The South Jakarta District Court acquitted retired Saudi Arabian teacher Al Khelaiw Ali Abdullah on Tuesday from the charges of assisting terrorist activities, but sentenced him to 18 months in prison for using his tourist visa to work in Indonesia
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he South Jakarta District Court acquitted retired Saudi Arabian teacher Al Khelaiw Ali Abdullah on Tuesday from the charges of assisting terrorist activities, but sentenced him to 18 months in prison for using his tourist visa to work in Indonesia.
“The judges find him guilty of breaking immigration laws by using his tourist visa to work in the country,” Presiding judge Ida Bagus Dwi Yantara said when reading out his verdict.
Dwi Yantara said prosecutors failed to prove that Ali had conspired with Syaefudin Zuhri, one of the terrorist suspects killed during a police raid in Ciputat, South Jakarta, last year. Prosecutors had charged Ali with providing funds for Zuhri’s terror cell.
Prosecutor Totok Bambang objected to the ruling, saying the panel of judges hadn’t dug deeper into the evidence presented by prosecutors. He said an appeal would be filed.
Dwi Yantara said the judges were aware that prosecutors presented evidence that Ali had given Rp 54 milion to Iwan Herdiansyah, one of Zuhri’s accomplices, as initial capital to establish an Internet cafe in Kuningan, Cirebon, in 2008.
“The testimony from all witnesses as well as other material evidence presented during the trial showed that Ali was completely in the dark about Zuhri’s involvement in terrorist activities.
Ali only knew Zuhri as a guide who spoke fluent Arabic and was willing to sponsor [Ali’s] visit to the country,” Dwi Yantara said.
Ali first met Zuhri at the airport upon arrival from Padang, West Sumatra. Ali, who said he was deeply impressed by Zuhri’s language skills, then agreed to employ him as his personal guide during his visit to
Indonesia.
Ali was arrested last year by the police counterterrorism officers as he was believed to have links to the terrorist group led by Noordin M. Top, which was blamed for last year’s bombings of the JW Mariott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in Jakarta.
The police had initially suspected that Ali was tasked with finding foreign donors. He was arrested along with Iwan Herdiansyah. However, Iwan was released due to lack of evidence of his involvement with the terrorist group.
