Bali Bomb Ringleader Recruits for Jihad on Death Row

Bali bombings commander Mukhlas has written a fanatical call-to-arms from his death-row prison cell, exhorting Muslims to kill Westerners.

Published on a website on the orders of notorious terror chief Noordin Mohammed Top, the polemic demonstrates the undiminished fervour of Mukhlas, who has been sentenced to death for commanding the Bali bomb blasts in 2002 that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.

"You who still have a shred of faith in your hearts, have you forgotten that to kill infidels and the enemies of Islam is a deed that has a reward above no other....Aren't you aware that the model for us all, the Prophet Mohammed and the four rightful caliphs, undertook to murder infidels as one of their primary activities, and that the Prophet waged jihad operations 77 times in the first 10 years as head of the Muslim community in Medina?"

....It remains unclear how Mukhlas bypassed jail security to send the polemic to Top, although Mr Rifan said a courier called Rino was sent by Top to the prison to see Mukhlas.

The revelations confirm there are continuing links between the jailed Bali bombers and their colleagues at large, and show Mukhlas remains an important figure in the terrorist movement.

....Mukhlas's lawyer, Achmad Michdan, said it was unclear whether the essay was written by his client. "If that is his writing, I don't believe it appeared there with his agreement," Mr Michdan said, claiming it was impossible for the work to have been written on a laptop or sent via a mobile phone.

"I asked for permission for him (to have a laptop), but no," Mr Michdan said.

Mukhlas, the elder brother of fellow Bali bombers Amrozi bin Nurhasyim and Ali Imron, had already written 18 books in jail, Mr Michdan said.

Many prisoners in Indonesian jails have mobile phones, a fact that has led to calls for a crackdown on the practice.