Bashir, 82, who was among Indonesia’s most notorious extremists, is said to be the spiritual leader of the Al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiah (JI) network. He was arrested in 2011 for his links to militant training camps in Aceh province.
Bashir will be released on Friday “according to the expiration date and the end of his term,” said Rika Aprianti, spokesman for the penitentiary directorate-general of the ministry of human rights and law, in a statement.
Jemaah Islamiah is accused of planning several major attacks in Indonesia and includes agents trained in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the southern Philippines.
Its members are accused of orchestrating the 2002 Bali nightclub attacks, which killed more than 200 people, including dozens of Australians, and an attack on the JW Marriott hotel in Jakarta that killed 12 people a year later.
Bashir denied any involvement in the Bali attacks. A lawyer for Bashir did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request to comment on his release.
Security analyst Ridlwan Habib said that while Bashir’s stature has weakened, extremists may try to associate his activities with him to gain strength and increase his credibility.
“Bashir is an important figure in the Indonesian jihadist movement, and it is not impossible that his big name can be used,” he said
While seeking re-election, President Joko Widodo in January 2019 had considered an early release from Bashir for health reasons, but dropped out of the plan after Bashir allegedly refused to swear allegiance to the Indonesian state’s ideology.