Suspected Bali bomb mastermind Bashir released 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.

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 Friday.

President Joko Widodo, who is seeking re-election in April, has been criticized by opponents who question his Islamic credentials and accuse him of backing the “criminalization” of clerics.