How Al Qaeda Gets Stronger in Indonesia

He said he was betrayed by his Islamist cohorts once police got wind of their activities and started rounding up and killing members of the cell.

“I have been cheated by them. I became a scapegoat for their failure in Aceh,” he said.

Prosecutor Totok Bambang told the court Tsauri had led training exercises and supplied weapons to the group. Indonesia is struggling to deal with the threat of homegrown Islamist militants who oppose its secular, democratic system and want to create a caliphate across much of Southeast Asia.

The country has been hit by a number of deadly bombings including attacks on luxury hotels, the Australian embassy and tourist spots that have killed around 250 people since 2002.