Baasyir transferred to Nusakambangan Penitentiary
Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Cilacap | Archipelago | Sat, October 06 2012, 1:15 PM
Abu Bakar Baasyir: (JP)Firebrand cleric Abu Bakar Baasyir, who is serving a nine-year prison sentence for terrorism, was transferred to Nusakambangan Penitentiary on Nusakambangan Island in Cilacap, Central Java, from the National Police’s detective unit detention center in Jakarta on Friday night.
Baasyir, who was heavily guarded by the Densus 88 counterterrorism personnel, arrived in Cilacap on Saturday morning.
Heavy security measures on Nusakambangan Island were evident when the entourage arrived and crossed over to the island on the Pengayoman II boat. Hundreds of police personnel have on been guard in the area since Saturday night.
“We have guarded the area since last night to prevent any unexpected incident,” a police officer who declined to be named told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.
Local police personnel attended an impromptu briefing on Friday night regarding the transfer.
Baasyir was declared guilty in June last year by the South Jakarta District Court for his role in organizing a terrorist training camp in Jantho, Aceh Besar. However, a higher court reduced the sentence from 15 to nine years in prison.(swd)
