Indonesian cleric gets 15 years on terror charge

Indonesian cleric gets 15 years on terror charge

Abu Bakar Bashir

The Indonesian Muslim cleric known as spiritual leader of the militants who carried out the deadly 2002 Bali bombings was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison for his support of a terror training camp uncovered last year.

         Abu Bakar Bashir's conviction for incitement of terrorism followed two unsuccessful attempts by prosecutors over the past eight years to link him to terror activities, including a conviction that was later overturned in the Bali attacks that killed 202 people.

        The relatively long sentence against Bashir, now 72, shows Indonesia's continuing resolve to tackle its deadly extremist movement. The sentence was announced amid high security at a Jakarta court, where nearly 3,200 police and soldiers secured the area after bomb threats spread through Twitter and text messages.

        Bashir said in the courtroom. "This verdict ignores Sharia law and is based on the infidel law, so it's forbidden for me to accept it,"