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September 5, 2006

Indonesia: Islamist Jailed For Eight Years In Bali

News from the Jakarta Post, the Guardian, the Hindustan Times and Associated Press via the Star Tribune and Canada's Golbe & Mail reports that a radical Muslim has been jailed for eight years for providing support to Noordin Top, one of the main figures who devised the bombings on Bali on October 1 last year, which killed 20 people.

30-year old Abdul Aziz, a computer teacher, also set up a website which caled for Muslims to wage war on non-Muslims, and gave instructions on the best ways to attack foreigners in Jakarta, Indonesia's capital.

When the ruling was announced by presiding judge Gede Wirya, in a court in Denpasar, Bali, Aziz shouted out "Allah is great!"

Three other individuals are also on trial, as we reported at the start of the proceedings on May 9. The others are 30-year old Dwi Widianto, 28-year old Mohammad Cholily and Anif Solchanudin, aged 24. All three, as well as Abdul Aziz, were charged with ""carrying out or taking part" in the three suicide bombings which took place at downtown Kuta and at two restaurants on the seafront at Jimbaran beach. The verdicts in their trials are expected later this week.

They are said to have made, supplied and transported the bomb materials, and also sheltered the terrorist Noordin Mohammed Top, a key figure in the terror group Jemaah Islamiyah. With Noordin Top, who carried out logistical and financial support for the attacks, the main plotter of last year's blast was Malaysian-born Azahari bin Husin, who was killed in East Java on November 9 by security forces.

Abdul Aziz and the other three individuals were being tried in separate courtrooms. Judge Gede wirya said that Aziz had met Noordin Top at least 10 times before the October 1 bombings, and once had let the terror kingpin stay overnight at his school in Central Java province.

The judge said Aziz had "committed a gross crime against humanity".

At least 150 militants have been arrested or convicted in Indonesia since 2002, which is the year in which Noordin Top and Azahari bin Husin arranged the most extreme of Jemaah Islamiyah's atrocities, the suicide bombings on 12 October 2002 in Bali, in which 202 people died. 88 of these were Australian tourists, and 25 were British.

Three individuals are currently awaiting execution for perpetrating the 2002 attacks, 36-year old Imam Samudra, 43-year old Amrozi and Amrozi's brother Ali Ghufron, alias Mukhlas, aged 46.

Today, the Jakarta Post reported that Imam Samudra, who also became a successful author of a book about jihad since his conviction on 10 September, 2003, had been in possession of a laptop computer while in jail.

Police said yesterday that there was no evidence that Samudra had helped to organise last year's Bali bombings from his cell in Kerobokan prison.

A lecturer at an economics and banking academy, Agung Setyadi, was arrested in Semarang in Central Java for supplying Samudra with the laptop computer. Yesterday National Police chief General Sutanto did admit that Samudra had used his laptop to surf the internet and "chat" with people outside the prison.

Agung Setyadi is currently in custody, along with Agung Prabowo and prison guard Beni Irawan. Apparently Beni Irawan had smuggled the laptop into the prison while a warden there. Beni is still being interrogated to ascertain if he belongs to any terrorist network.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at September 5, 2006 11:03 AM

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Posted by: Sir Henry Morgan at September 7, 2006 10:54 AM

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