Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, a radical Muslim cleric and alleged mastermind of the 2002 Bali bombings, has been freed.
Abu Bakar Ba'asyir leaves prison for treatment at a hospital in Jakarta in March 2018. Photo: AFP
His family picked him up from a jail on the outskirts of Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, at dawn today, a spokesperson told BBC Indonesia.
The 82-year-old was formerly the commander of Jemaah Islamiah, an al-Qaeda-inspired group that was blamed for the attack that killed 202 people.
He has been released after his sentence was cut short.
People from 21 nations, including New Zealand, died in the blasts on 12 October 2002 in the popular holiday island of Bali. The two bombs ripped through Paddy's Irish Bar and the nearby Sari Club in the Kuta tourist district.
The aftermath of the bombings in 2002. Photo: AFP
It was Indonesia's worst terrorist attack.
The decision to release Ba'asyir has drawn mixed reactions in Indonesia as well as Australia, where most of the victims were from.
The attacks left 209 others injured and remain the single largest loss of Australian life from an act of terror.
After being in and out of jail for a range of different terrorism offences, Bashir was given a 15-year jail sentence in 2011 for supporting militant training camps in Indonesia's Aceh province.
But after a number of reductions on that term, he is now ready to walk free.
Ahead of his expected release Garil Arnandha, whose father was among the victims of the Bali bombings, told the BBC: "I don't agree with Abu Bakar Ba'asyir being released because in my opinion he is still very dangerous and has the potential to revive terrorism in Indonesia."
Endang, his mother, had a different view.
"As a bomb victim I have forgiven him," she said.
"He has served time in jail for his crimes and I really hope he will return to the right path. I am worried but I am trying to have positive thinking because the trauma of losing my husband in the bombing has been horrific."
Previous release plan dropped
Indonesian President Joko Widodo was set to release Bashir ahead of Indonesia's 2019 presidential election, in what was seen by analysts as an attempt to appeal to ultraconservative elements.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said at the time he had "deep reservations" about Bashir's release and had contacted the Indonesian government.
"Australia's position on this matter has not changed; we've always expressed the deepest of reservations," he said.
The announcement was met with backlash within Indonesia too and Bashir was not released.
Federal Government cabinet minister Angus Taylor said Australia had spoken to Indonesian authorities about Bashir's release this week.
"This is distressing for many of those families that have been affected by those tragic events some years ago," he said on Tuesday.
"We have expressed our concern about the situation and will continue to, but I do feel for those families because it does bring back those extraordinary events that we all remember so well and the tragedy that unfolded."
-BBC / ABC
