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Rizieq wants to go home after being questioned in Saudi
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Rizieq Shihab and head of Commission III Bambang Soesatyo speak to thousands of people as they participate in a rally in front of the legislative complex in Jakarta on Feb. 21. They asked the government to move forward with a blasphemy case implicating then governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
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slam Defenders Front (FPI) leader Rizieq Shihab expects to return to Indonesia from Saudi Arabia following the move by the National Police to question him in relation to a pornography case in the Middle Eastern kingdom.
Rizieq's lawyer, Kapitra Ampera, said after the questioning, which took place at the Indonesian Embassy in Jeddah, the FPI leader showed confidence that there would be a breakthrough in his case.
"He expects to have legal certainty, so that he can go back to Indonesia," he said as quoted by tempo.co.
Kapitra said with all the information he gave to police investigators during the interview, Rizieq was confident that it would be enough to overturn the allegation against him.
Rizieq was named a suspect in the pornography case following the spread of sexually explicit WhatsApp chats allegedly between him and Firza Hussein, who has also been named a suspect in the case.
Rizieq, who played a key role in street protests that called for the prosecution of former Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja "Ahok" Purnama for blasphemy, was put on the police's most-wanted list after he fled to Saudi Arabia in late May.
National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian confirmed on Friday that a team of investigators had been dispatched to Saudi Arabia to question Rizieq.
