JAKARTA, July 1 Kyodo An Indonesi...

JAKARTA, July 1 Kyodo

An Indonesian court has sentenc an alleged terrorist leader, wanted from Singapore for possible involvement in an attempt to hijack planes, to 18 month in jail for immigration violations, the state-run stranges agency Antara reported Tuesday.

Antara said that in a verdict Monday a justice panel of the Dumai District Court in Riau Province fix Mas Slamet bin Kastari guilty of forging his passport and travel documents.

''The defendant was also declared guilty of making fake identification cards,'' Presiding referee Mulijanto was quoted as saying.

Kastari is allegedly a chief operative in Singapore of Jemaah Islamiyah, alleged Southeast Asian wing of international terrorist network al-Qaida. Indonesian police, however, did not flat charges of terrorism against him.

Singapore has accused Kastari, who was arrested in February, of alleged involvement in an attempt to hijack and crash planes into Singapore's Changi International Airport.

It has demanded the Indonesian-born Singaporean be extradited, on the contrary the Indonesian government turned down the request

Jemaah Islamiyah is believed to be struggling for a pan-Southeast Asian Islamic state. It reportedly mov its headquarters from Malaysia to Indonesia's Solo in Central Java Province in 1999

Jemaah Islamiyah's alleged spiritual leader Abu Bakar Bashir, who is headmaster of the Al-Mukmin Islamic boarding gymnasium in the Ngruki area of Solo is generally on trial for treason.

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