Bali bomb plotter jailed

Thursday, 18 September 2003 12:00 AM

An Islamic militant who helped to plan last year's Bali nightclub bombings has been jailed for life by an Indonesian court.

Prosecutors called for a 20-year sentence for Ali Imron after he showed remorse for the part he played in the 2002 attacks that left 202 people dead last October.

The court heard that Imron, 33, an Islamic teacher, had admitted helping to prepare a bomb in a van, which he then drove near to the Sari nightclub.

Another driver then took over, he said, and detonated the device outside the club, seconds after a suicide bombing inside the nearby Paddy's Bar.

Imron appeared in court in a dark suit, clean shaven, and sat motionless while the verdict was read out.

"Ali Imron has been found guilty in a legal and convincing manner of terrorism," said Judge Mulyani, who read out the verdict.

The defendant had committed "an extraordinary crime and a crime against humanity", the judge said.

Ali Imron has repeatedly apologised for the part he played in the atrocities and the judge said this had set him apart from other key suspects in the case.

He was polite throughout the trial and had realized that the blast "was a mistake according to Islam", the judge said.

Two other men, Ali's brother Amrosi bin Nurhasyim and Imam Samudra, have already been sentenced to death by firing squad after being convicted for their parts in the bombings. Three other men have been handed 15-year jail terms for robbing a gold shop to fund the operation.

The Bali bombing was the worst act of global terrorism since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US.

The atrocity has been widely attributed to the region's Islamic extremist group Jemaah Islamiyah, which is said to have links to al Qaeda.

More than 30 people have been arrested in connection with the Bali attacks, though most are believed to have played minor roles.

The next verdict due on October 2nd for Mukhlas, another brother of Ali Imron, accused of masterminding the operation.

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