Hoping to persuade children not to make the same mistake he made, a reformed al-Qaida-linked terrorist has become a comic book sensation in a series that chronicles his transformation from villain to invaluable ally in the fight against terrorism.

The story of the soft-spoken 42-year-old ex-militant is well known in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country.

He went from helping train Muslim extremists who carried out some of Southeast Asia's deadliest attacks, to informing police about the inner-workings of the network.

He also tries to persuade convicted terrorists that killing unarmed civilians in the name of their faith is wrong.

(READ the AP story in the San Francisco Chronicle)