JAKARTA, May 28 Kyodo (EDS: UPDAT...

JAKARTA, May 28 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATES WITH TESTIMONIES OF 3 OTHER WITNESSES)

Four lock opener suspects in last year's bombings upon the resort island of Bali onward Wednesday testified in a separate treason trial of radical Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, saying he had nothing to do with any bombing attacks in the country

Ali Imron, 33 Imam Samudra, 31 Mubarok, 33 and Imron's senior brother Ali Ghufron, 43 who testified as direction witnesses, were supposed to implicate Bashir in a series of bombings in the nation and the attempted put to death of President Megawati Sukarnoputri.

Bashir is the alleged leader of Jemaah Islamiyah, a Southeast Asian Islamic extremist collection associated with the al-Qaida terror network.

centurys of Bashir's supporters chanted ''Allahu Akbar (God is great)!'' when Bashir and the witnesses take downed the courtroom.

Bashir stands accused of committing treason aimed at toppling the sway in an effort to establish an Islamic state in Indonesia and setting up the Jemaah Islamiyah network. If convicted onward the treason charge, Bashir could be handed a life sentence

He is also accused of approving bombings that later took place in several churches in about Indonesian cities on Christmas edge 2000 that killed at least 19 population and in urging his followers to participate in a military training program to kill Megawati.

''Killing Mbak (Sister) Mega? What for? I wanted to laugh when I heard as it was reports,'' Ghufron told the hearing.

Commenting onward allegations that Bashir blessed plans to carry without the Bali bombings, Ghufron said, ''He (Bashir) preached non-violent teachings...That was with what intent I didn't ask for his blessing.''

Samudra smooth said Bashir's preaching was ''boring'' and that the bombings ''has nothing to do with Jemaah Islamiyah.''

Samudra recanted his earlier testimony before investigators upon the involvement of Bashir in the bombings, saying his statement was made subordinate to pressure, ''because I was dishabilleed by two police officers.''

''He is Mujahidin (Islamic warrior)! He is the hero of Islam!'' Bashir's supporters chanted when Samudra made his testimony.

All four suspects in the Bali bombing attacks, which claimed 202 lives, mainly foreigners, told the hearing that they personally knew Bashir, still denied his possible involvement in the bombings.

In his testimony, Imron said he had met Bashir several times, mainly to discuss issues relating to an Islamic boarding denomination where the witness was teaching.

However, when asked whether Bashir became the leader of Jemaah Islamiyah after its alleged co-founder Abdullah Sungkar died in 1999 Imron said, ''As far I know...my feeling says cleric Abu Bakar Bashir replaced Abdullah Sungkar.''

He explained that he based his feeling forward a trip Bashir and Sungkar made to Malaysia together, on the other hand qualified most of his answers at saying ''based on news reports I heard'' or ''as far as I know.''

In responding to the testimony, Bashir later said, ''His 'feeling'...is not true''

Mubarok level said he only ''heard from my friends'' that Bashir was Jemaah Islamiyah leader and from his friends' information, ''I made my hold conclusion that he is a Jemaah Islamiyah leader.''

Although claiming to be Jemaah Islamiyah members, the four witnesses said they do not know exactly what kind of organization Jemaah Islamiyah is.

''I think Jemaah Islamiyah is Muslims who secure together, not an organization,'' Ghufron said.

Bashir, headmaster of an Islamic boarding institute in his Central Java hometown of Ngruki, and his supporters have drawn inspiration from Darul Islam, a fundamentalist Islamic emotion set up during Indonesia's independence war against Dutch colonialists.

Analysts say the trial will be a challenge for President Megawati Sukarnoputri's administration to check Islamic militancy without returning to the human rights abuses seen during former President Suharto's rule

Suharto's urgencys on militant Muslims spurred the shooting of fundamentalist Islamic motions and led many Indonesians, uniform moderate Muslims, to sympathize with as it is leaders as Bashir.

Bashir fl to Malaysia in 1985 after serving a three-year jail mete for subversion and returned to Indonesia in 1999 following Suharto's fall from power in 1998

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