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Suspected militants testifying in the trial of Abu Bakar Bashir have described the firebrand cleric as an influential anti-democracy advocate with solid links to the Aceh terror camp.

Suranto, introduced on Thursday to the South Jakarta District Court as Bashir’s former clerk, said the preacher was strongly opposed to democracy and railed against it in his sermons as an un-Islamic concept.

“He said democracy was haram [forbidden] in Islam,” Suranto said.

He said he was only in charge of editing Bashir’s speeches and did not actually write them.

Haryadi Usman, a businessman, told the court by video link that he regularly attended Bashir’s speaking engagements after being impressed by the cleric.

He said that when Bashir asked him to donate money toward an i’dad , or preparation for armed conflict, he agreed to hand over Rp 150 million ($17,100) without hesitation.

“He told me he had an i’dad program that needed funding,” said Haryadi, who is himself standing trial at the West Jakarta District Court for funding the paramilitary camp in Aceh.

Branching Out

Bashir is charged with three counts of funding terrorist activities at the camp, as well as two counts of illegal firearm possession, one charge of mobilizing and inciting people to commit acts of terrorism and one charge of using violence with intent to inflict human casualties. He faces the death penalty if convicted.

Thursday’s hearing also revealed that the Aceh militants had planned to establish more training camps elsewhere in the country.

“We planned to set up similar camps in West Java and Poso [Central Sulawesi],” said Joko Purwanto, a witness introduced as a member of Jemaah Islamiyah, the shadowy regional terror network of which Bashir is believed to be the spiritual leader.

“We considered Ujung Kulon in West Java and Malino or a mountainous area near Poso as other training grounds, but the plan was abandoned for some reason.”

JAT Link

Joko said the idea to set up the camps came from top militant Abu Tholut, who is in police custody awaiting trial.

In an attempt to link the camps to Bashir, prosecutor Bambang Suharyadi asked the witness if Abu Tholut was a member of Jemaah Anshorut Tauhid, a fundamentalist group founded by Bashir.

“Yes, he’s a JAT member,” said Joko, who is being tried separately for his links to the Aceh camp.

He added he had visited the Aceh camp together with Mang Jaja, who was killed in a police raid after the camp was uncovered in February last year, and Luthfi Haidaroh, also known as Ubaid, who managed the donations and distributed money to field leaders at the camp, including Tholut and the late Dulmatin.

“Mang Jaja handed over a total of Rp 180 million for the Aceh camp,” Joko said. “He sold his truck for that purpose.”

Hightailing It

Thursday’s hearing was marred by yet another walkout by Bashir, who continued to voice his opposition to the videoconference technology used to present witness testimonies.

He also told presiding Judge Herri Swantoro that he refused to attend any hearing “led by a panel [of judges] that opposes and ignores verses from Allah.”

He then spent the rest of the hearing in the court’s holding cell, where a TV monitor relayed the proceedings from the court.

Consistently Inconsistent

But after six witnesses had testified, Bashir demanded to be allowed to deliver a response.

“First you ask to leave, now you ask to get in,” Herri said. “The defendant will be given a chance to say anything he wants, but not today. Just tell us which testimonies from today you agreed or disagreed with.”

Bashir’s defense team, which had earlier requested and been granted permission for Bashir and members of the defence undergo a medical checkup in the afternoon, riled the court further when they delayed the plan to Friday morning.

“Your lawyers are inconsistent,” Herri said. “I suggested the medical checkup for Friday, but they asked for it to be this afternoon. After I approved the request, you asked me to delay it until Friday.”

Bashir said his lawyers had not expected the hearing to last until late in the afternoon.

Mail-Bomb Conspiracy

On the sidelines of the hearing, Bashir responded to Tuesday’s mail bombs, calling the people behind them “cowards.”

However, he described one of the targets, Ulil Abshar Abdalla, a murtad , or apostate.

Ulil, a co-founder of the Liberal Islamic Network (JIL), has long advocated a moderate interpretation of the religion and in the process has alienated key hard-liners and conservatives.

“Ulil is a murtad ,” Bashir said. “His JIL has destroyed Islamic teaching.” Bashir also claimed that the police’s counterterrorism unit, Densus 88, was behind the mail bombs.

“It’s all a fabrication. If they’re gentlemen, they shouldn’t hide,” the cleric said. “They should declare war openly.”

He also denied speculation linking him to the mail bombs. “Again, this is an attempt to frame me. They’re insane,” Bashir said.