JAKARTA, Oct 17: Indonesian police on Thursday summoned a religious leader, Abu Bakar Bashir, as a suspect in bomb attacks and treason. His lawyers said they expected him to be arrested.

One of the lawyers, Mahendradatta, said police have issued a summons for Bashir.

“We can only say that we’re sad that the government has succumbed to international pressure to arrest ustadz (the teacher),” he said.

The summons came five days after a devastating bomb attack in Indonesia’s resort island of Bali, which killed more than 180 people, mostly foreigners. Bashir has not been summoned over that attack.

Another lawyer, Ahmad Khalid, said Bashir would most likely be detained on Saturday.

“Ustadz has been summoned to appear at national police headquarters on Saturday and considering the nature of the summons he will most likely be detained,” he said.

The summons said Bashir would be questioned “as a suspect in relation to bomb attacks,” Khalid said. It did not specify which blasts.

Bashir is also summoned under an article in the criminal code on treason, which is theoretically punishable by death.

The Singapore government says Bashir, 64, is the spiritual leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah regional network.

Many Jemaah Islamiyah members are in detention in the island republic for allegedly plotting a bombing campaign there.

Foreign leaders have voiced suspicion that the Bali bombing was planned by the Al Qaeda, possibly in conjunction with Jemaah Islamiyah.

Three Indonesian officials last week questioned Omar al-Faruq, apparently at Afghanistan’s Bagram air base.—AFP