Indonesia to Release Suspected Bali Bomb Mastermind From Prison

Abu Bakar Bashir (C), the alleged mastermind of the 2002 Bali bombings, walks as he is visited by Yusril Ihza Mahendra (R), who is the lawyer of Indonesia's presidential candidate Joko Widodo, at Gunung Sindur prison in Bogor, Indonesia, January 18, 2019. Antara Foto/Yulius Satria Wijaya/Reuters

JAKARTA—Abu Bakar Bashir, the radical Muslim cleric and alleged mastermind of the 2002 Bali bombings, will be granted early release from jail on humanitarian grounds, Indonesia’s president said on Jan. 18.

Bashir, 81, who is considered the spiritual leader of the Islamist group Jemaah Islamiah (JI), was convicted in 2010 under anti-terrorism laws for links to extremist training camps in Aceh province and jailed for 15 years.