Bashir terror trial adjourned till Monday

(AAP) - Radical Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir has spent less than 30 minutes in court, refusing to take part in the first day of his trial on terrorism charges because he was not given the required notice to appear.
Thursday's proceedings began under strong security with hundreds of heavily-armed police officers surrounding the South Jakarta District Court as the 72-year-old arrived for the first day of a case expected to take months.
Hundreds of his supporters shouted "God is great, God is great" as Bashir entered the courtroom in his customary white robe, waving as he took his seat before a panel of five judges.
The co-founder of Jemaah Islamiah (JI), and the man many suspect was behind the deadly 2002 Bali bombings, is facing seven fresh charges including one count of planning and/or inciting a terrorist act, which carries a maximum penalty of death.
He is also charged with trafficking in weapons and explosives for the purpose of conducting terrorism, which also carries the death penalty, as well as supplying funds for terrorism, which carries a jail term of between three and 15 years.
However, the judges adjourned the trial until Monday after the defence complained that Bashir was only subpoenaed to appear in court on Tuesday. Under Indonesian law, defendants must be given at least three days' notice.
Bashir told the court he was within his rights to seek an adjournment.
"I object ... because I feel forced by prosecutor to attend (despite) not getting the subpoena less than three days (before the trial)," he said.
"I refuse to be tried today."
Bashir was arrested in August last year after the discovery of a new terrorist network training at a secret camp in Aceh on the island of Sumatra.
It's alleged he was a key organiser of the new network, that he "blessed and funded" the training camp and appointed the now deceased terrorist known as Dulmatin as its field commander.
Dulmatin, killed in a police raid in March last year, was the explosives expert who helped assemble the bombs used in the 2002 attacks in Bali which killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.
Authorities say a large cache of weapons and ammunition were found at the Aceh camp, including AK-47s, which will be used as evidence.
But Bashir's lawyer, Mahendradatta, claimed outside the court that the weapons found at the camp were planted by Densus 88, the Indonesian National Police's counter-terrorism squad which is funded, equipped and trained by the United States and Australia.
"The military camp (in Aceh) was not real military camp actually. It's without any weapon, but suddenly ... comes somebody from police bringing the weapon," Mahendradatta told AAP.
"All the weapons comes from the warehouse of Densus 88.
"I have to deny all of the accusations from the beginning," Mahendradatta said.
Prosecutors plan to present 197 items as evidence, including a video which they say shows members of the new terrorist network undergoing training at the Aceh camp and contains a message from al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden.
Bashir allegedly used the video to raise RP1.2 billion ($A131,000) through Jemaah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT) to buy weapons and recruit new members to the terrorist network.
The International Crisis Group (ICG) describes JAT, founded in 2008 and which Bashir leads, as an above-ground organisation, but one which has embraced individuals with known ties to fugitive extremists and which preaches jihad.
It has welcomed many members of JI, the ICG said.
Some 90 witnesses are expected to be called, including a number of men who were linked to Bashir but who are expected to give evidence against him.
Prosecutors also allege that the terrorist network planned to assassinate Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, as well as attack foreign interests, specifically US and Jewish citizens.
Bashir served almost 26 months for conspiracy over the 2002 Bali bombings, but the conviction was later overturned following an appeal.