| A Muslim cleric accused of heading the terror group blamed for the Bali bombings proclaimed his innocence as his trial opened Thursday, and said the charges were the work of President Bush and "his slave" — Australian Prime Minister John Howard. Abu Bakar Bashir is charged with heading the al-Qaida-linked group Jemaah Islamiyah and with involvement in two attacks — the Bali nightclub bombings and a suicide blast at the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Jakarta last year. The United States and Australia also accuse the 66-year-old cleric of being a key Southeast Asian terror leader. "I am innocent. The charges are baseless," a relaxed-looking Bashir told reporters before the trial began. "Everybody knows, even school children, that there is pressure (for a trial) from George Bush and his slave John Howard." "All those people who do not agree with the interests of George Bush are called terrorists," Bashir said. |