Radical Indonesian cleric held over "terror"

Indonesia's anti-terror police unit Detachment 88 detained firebrand radical Muslim cleric Abu Bakr Bashir on Monday on Java island, because of links to Islamist militant training camps, a government official said.

Ansyaad Mbai, the head of the government's anti-terror desk, said that police had strong evidence Bashir was connected to training camps in Indonesia's westernmost Aceh province that had planned attacks against the president.

"He had been involved in terror network in Aceh. As we know, that terror group in Aceh is linked with Jamaah Islamiyah and many other extremist groups in our country," Mbai said, confirming the arrest.

"One of the allegations is that he provided funding to the Aceh military training. It's one of many allegations weighed against him," he added.

The arrest was made early Monday, a police source said, adding that Bashir would be taken to police headquarters in Jakarta. Police are expected to give a press conference later today.

Bashir, 71, is known for his hardline rhetoric and has been accused of providing spiritual leadership to Jamaah Islamiyah, a claim he denies.

He served almost 26 months for conspiracy over the 2002 terror attacks on Bali nightspots that killed more than 200 people, before being cleared and released in 2006.

The NGO International Crisis Group said last month that Bashir had returned to the police radar in May, when officers raided the headquarters of his Jamaah Ansar al-Tauhid (JAT) group in Jakarta and arrested three of his followers.

The trio were charged over the training camp in Aceh, International Crisis Group said. Bashir insisted he had no links with the Aceh group.

Along with close ally Abdullah Sungkar, Bashir was jailed by the Suharto regime from 1978 to 1982 for inciting people to reject the secular national ideology in favor of an Islamic state.

He founded JAT in 2008 as a legitimate -- although radical -- body with which to continue agitating for Islamic law and armed jihad.