Muslim Militants Jailed over Terrorist Attacks

December 12, 2007

Author: Staff Writer

Source: Agence France-Presse

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22911214-401,00.html

FOUR Muslim militants in Indonesia were jailed for between 14 and 19 years for terrorist attacks in the country's religiously divided Central Sulawesi province.

Muhammad Basri, 29, was jailed for 19 years after being found guilty of involvement in a series of attacks on Christians in the province.

Judge Eddy Risdianto told South Jakarta district court that Basri was guilty of involvement in 17 attacks. They included the beheading of three Christian high school girls in Poso district in 2005 and the shooting dead of a reverend in the town of Palu in the same year.

Basri was also found guilty of taking part in a number of other attacks in Poso from 2003, including an armed clash with police as they moved in to arrest him on February 1, in which he was shot in the stomach.

In separate trials at the same court, three other militants - Ardin Djanatu, 37, Ridwan, 26, and Tugiran, 32 - were sentenced to 14 years over attacks in Poso.