Jakarta: One of the most extremist leaders in Southeast Asia, radical Islamic cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, who was the mastermind of the 2002 Bali bombings, walked out from an Indonesian jail on Friday morning.
According to reports, he was picked up by his family members outside the prison. He was seen in a mask, wearing a white robe.
Bashir, who is the co-founder of Al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), had trained and funded the militants to blow up Bali in 2002. It is also believed that he was the man who made bombs and gave instructions to the militants.
Authorities said that Bashir was released as he completed his jail sentence, who had been in prison since 2011.
Bashir, who repeatedly denied his involvement in the horrifying terror attacks in Indonesia, had confessed that he was an admirer of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
In the multiple attacks in Bali’s Kuta beach, more than 200 people were killed, most of them were Australians.