Indonesian terror convict and younger brother of jailed cleric Abu Bakar Ba’asyir, Noim Ba’asyir, has been released from prison after serving a six-year sentence.
“I want to take care of my family,” Mr Noim said upon exiting the penitentiary on Tuesday, February 19, reported news agency Antara.
When asked about his allegiance to Indonesia, he answered only with: “I am an Indonesian.”
President Joko Widodo had in January considered releasing his older brother Abu Bakar, the firebrand cleric who allegedly planned the Bali bombings in 2002 that killed 202 people, on the grounds of his poor health, but cancelled the plan, as Abu Bakar refused to declare his loyalty to the state and the national ideology Pancasila.
Mr Noim was picked up by his family, including his sister, wife and children.
Before leaving the penitentiary, he was seen exchanging words with prison officials and other law enforcers, including those from the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT).
Mr Noim was initially to be released from prison on May 21 – roughly six years after the court found him guilty of involvement in a terror organisation.
Tulungagung Penitentiary chief warden Erry Taruna, however, said the terror convict earned a three-month sentence reduction, allowing him to become a free man on Tuesday.
In 2016, Mr Noim made headlines while he was serving his sentence at the Pamekasan Penitentiary in East Java, after he demanded a private area for him and his wife when she visited.
Source: Straits Times
Photo: Suara Nasional