Indonesia arrests Islamist cleric over virus rule breaches

A firebrand Indonesian Muslim cleric was arrested yesterday for allegedly breaching coronavirus restrictions after he held a series of sermons with tens of thousands of followers. Rizieq Shihab's arrest came just days after Jakarta police shot dead six followers of his hardline Islamist group in a highway shootout. If found guilty, he could face up to six years behind bars for breaching coronavirus rules. Indonesia has reported more than 600,000 coronavirus infections and over 18,500 deaths, with authorities imposing nationwide restrictions to curb the spread of the disease. Despite those restrictions, Shihab held sermons, all of which were attended by thousands of people.

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