Second Bali death penalty sought
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| BALI BOMBING ACCUSED |
Amrozi
- Found guilty of planning attack, and buying the bomb-making chemicals and the van used in the largest bomb. Sentenced to death August 7.
Imam Samudra
- Accused of planning and executing the attacks. Mukhlas (Ali Ghufron)
- Accused of being in charge of the bombings.
- Said to be the operational chief of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI). |
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DENPASAR, Indonesia -- Prosecutors are seeking a second death sentence in relation to last October's Bali bombings, this time in the trial of the suspected mastermind of the attack that killed 202 people.
Imam Samudra, a 33-year-old computer expert, appeared in court Monday less than a week after the sentencing of the so-called "smiling bomber" Amrozi bin Nurhasyim for his alleged role in coordinating the bombings of two nightclubs.
Samudra began his day in court by thanking the prosecutors for demanding a death sentence and said execution by firing squad would bring him closer to God, reported Reuters news agency.
Political analysts have interpreted the pursuit of death sentences as a sign Indonesia was demonstrating to the world it was serious about tackling the scourge of terrorism.
Other observers, however, have expressed concern any executions could ferment further unrest and make martyrs of the criminals.
Samudra, wearing the loose white shirt and a skull cap he favors to distinguish him as a Muslim believer, began his statement in court Monday by reciting verses in Arabic from the Koran, reported Reuters.
"I'd like to say thank you to the prosecutor team, which has demanded the death sentence. Because in death we live peacefully, and in death we draw near to God," Samudra told the court.
The one-time chicken butcher and perfume seller was arrested just over a month after the Bali attacks.
Samudra was on a bus about to board a ferry for Sumatra island when police found him after he sent an e-mail from an Internet cafe. They had already been tracking him across Indonesia, following his withdrawals from cash machines, security experts said.
Also on Monday, lawyers for Amrozi said they will appeal the death penalty verdict, despite the apparent glee with which their client accepted the death sentence, reported The Associated Press.
"We have persuaded him to exhaust all avenues to get justice. He was guilty for his role in the attack, but he was not the planner so we do not think he should be shot to death," said his lawyer, Oktriyan. Like many Indonesians, Oktriyan uses a single name.
Death sentences, which are rare in Indonesia, are carried out by a firing squad.
Like other Bali accused, Samudra and Amrozi were students of elderly Indonesian Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, said to be the leader of the shadowy militant Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) group and who is currently on trial for treason.
Prosecutors will make their demand for sentencing on Tuesday and Ba'asyir faces a life term.
