Jakarta, Indonesia

A radical cleric linked to the Bali nightclub bombings was freed from prison Friday.

Advertisment

The bombings in Bali, which came just a year after the 9/11 attacks on the United States, nearly two decades ago killed more than 200 people, mostly foreign tourists.

Abu Bakar Bashir is seen as the spiritual leader of Islamist terror network Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), which was responsible for the massive blasts that ripped through a pair of packed bars in October 2002.

Sentenced to 15 years in 2011, his term was later cut due to sentencing reductions handed to most prisoners in Indonesia.

Advertisment

According to AFP, a van with Bashir inside left Gunung Sindur prison near the capital Jakarta at around 5:30 am Friday (2230 GMT Thursday), accompanied by members of Indonesia's elite counter-terror squad.

Bashir was expected to return to his hometown, Solo city.

He had been previously jailed over the Bali bombings, but that conviction was quashed on appeal. He has repeatedly denied involvement and his exact role remains unclear.

Advertisment

Al-Qaeda-linked JI -- founded by exiled Indonesian militants in neighbouring Malaysia in the 1980s -- was largely dismantled by security forces after the 2002 attacks, and a 2005 bombing on the holiday island.

There have been signs of the network's resurgence in recent years, although Bashir's influence has waned, said Jakarta-based security analyst Sidney Jones.

The Bali bombings back then prompted Jakarta to strengthen cooperation with the US and Australia on counter-terrorism.

Notably, Bashir's lawyers had appealed for his release citing his age and risk of contracting Covid-19 in the Southeast Asian nation's notoriously overcrowded prison system.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison described Bashir's release as "gut-wrenching".

"I still remember that day, very vividly like I'm sure many Australians do," he said Friday, adding that Bashir had served his time for another crime.

"(But) that doesn't make it any easier for any Australian to accept, ultimately that those who are responsible for the murder of Australians would now be free."