JAKARTA -- Indonesian President Joko Widodo is backing away from a plan to release a radical cleric linked to the Bali bombings in 2002, after the thinly veiled attempt to woo conservative Muslim voters ahead of April's election sparked a backlash from Widodo's progressive supporters.
The president had intended to grant early release to Abu Bakar Baasyir based on "humanity reasons" -- citing the cleric's age and ailing health. The 80-year-old spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiyah, a regional al-Qaida offshoot, is serving a 15-year prison term for a 2011 conviction for orchestrating training for militants in Aceh Province.
