DUBAI: Police in Indonesia have named a hard-line Muslim cleric as a suspect in a pornography case.
According to police, Rizieq Shihab is accused of exchanging nude photographs and explicit messages with women.
The cleric has denied the accusations, however.
Shihbab, who heads the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) which led protests against Jakarta’s former governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, is known for his fiery rhetoric.
The cleric, who is currently in Saudi Arabia, has been jailed twice for violence and disrupting public order.
Now, Shihbab stands accused of violating the country’s strict anti-pornography laws by allegedly sending pornography to activist Firza Husein, a second suspect.
Naming someone a suspect is a step in the Indonesian legal system which means authorities believe they have enough evidence to consider filing charges, and such cases normally go to court.
Shihab, who has been jailed twice before, could face up to five years in prison if found guilty.
“We will issue an arrest warrant and check his house and work with immigration to determine his whereabouts,” Jakarta police spokesman Argo Yuwono said.
Shihab’s lawyer Sugito Amto Prawiro denied the cleric had broken the anti-porn laws and said he was the “victim of a cruel act.”
Shihab was a key figure in organizing a series of mass rallies last year against Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, an ally of Widodo, over allegations he insulted the Quran while campaigning for re-election.
The controversy led to Purnama’s downfall — he lost the election and was jailed for blasphemy for two years this month over the claims.
— With AFP
