There has been a mixed reaction to the sentencing of Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir to a four-year jail term for his involvement in plotting to topple the Indonesian government.

Radical Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir waves as he leaves the courtroom, Sept 2, 2003, in Jakarta, Indonesia. An Indonesian court sentenced Bashir to four years in prison Tuesday for plotting the overthrow of the government, but the judges acquitted him of leading Jemaah Islamiyah, a Southeast Asian terror group linked to al-Qaeda.  [AP]

Supporters in Indonesia were bitter at the guilty verdict on the lesser charge, suggesting the court was doing the bidding of the United States.

Several hundred Bashir supporters packed the streets around the courthouse in Jakarta and cheered when he was first cleared of the main charge and ordered to be set free.

The mood changed when the final verdict came however, and some chanted "Hang America."

The chairman of the team of lawyers defending Bashir, Adnan Buyung Nasution, told media the four-year term by the Central Jakarta District Court was legally weak.

The decision was "just a step aimed at saving the face of the Indonesian law enforcement authorities who have failed to prove their accusation against the Moslem cleric", Indonesia's Antara reports him saying.

But those who see Bashir as the figurehead of terrorism in Southeast Asia are disappointed he was not dealt with more harshly.

Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said his government was expecting a longer sentence.

"We don't normally wish to set ourselves up as commentators about other countries' judicial processes. But we do welcome the fact that Abu Bakar Ba'asyir has been convicted," he said.

"There's no doubt about it. He, in our mind, is one of the key figures in Jemmah Islamiyah, and as I've often said he's the spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiyah.

"I understand the court doesn't necessarily agree with that," Downer said, adding that his government had been expecting closer to 10 or 12 years imprisonment.

Analysts said Indonesian authorities are eager to curb extremism but worried about alienating mainstream Islamic opinion and provoking a backlash.

CNN's Jakarta bureau chief Maria Ressa said the court case represented a "battle for the soul of Islam" in Indonesia between moderates and radicals.

The sentence was "effectively just a slap on the wrist" and demonstrated the political will of the government, she said.

"The message being sent is rather underwhelming," Ken Conboy, who runs Risk Management Advisory, a Jakarta-based security consultancy, told The Associated Press.

"It looks like they weren't willing to play hardball with him."

The court, in passing its verdict, ruled there was no evidence Bashir was the leader of a plot to assassinate Megawati Sukarnoputri or that he was the leader of a regional terrorist network.

Assassination plot

After working through more than 200 pages of evidence, chief judge Muhammad Saleh said Bashir was guilty of taking part in subversion and forgery, but there was no proof he was the leader of the Southeast Asian terror network Jemaah Islamiyah (JI).

"In order that the defendant does not repeat his mistake ... he must be punished," Saleh said. "We, the judges, hand down a sentence of four years in prison."

Speaking after the sentence had been passed Bashir told the court and his supporters that he did not accept the verdict and planned to appeal.

Bashir had been accused of trying to overthrow the government through a series of terrorist acts, including a plot to assassinate Indonesia's current President Megawati when she held the post of vice-president.

His trial had closely watched around the world as a key litmus test for Indonesia's commitment to fighting Muslim militancy.

However, the trial was also sensitive for Megawati, whose coalition government depends on the support of moderate Muslim parties, some of whome have expressed support for Bashir.

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