Militant Islamic cleric released from prison

? Authorities released militant cleric Abu Bakar Bashir from prison on Wednesday, and about 150 of his supporters jubilantly greeted him with shouts of “God is great!”

The 68-year-old cleric, an alleged key leader of the al-Qaida-linked Southeast Asian militant group Jemaah Islamiyah, had served 26 months at Jakarta’s Cipinang prison for giving his blessing to the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings, which killed 202 people, most of them foreign tourists.

His release raises concerns among Indonesian officials that he could energize the country’s small, Islamic radical fringe.

Bashir, who has maintained his innocence, plans to return to his school and retake his position at the head of his legal hardline Islamic organization, the Council of Mujahedeen for Islamic Law Enforcement.