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Militant Islam Monitor > Articles > Balinese storm jail and demand execution of Islamic terrorists who carried out 2002 attacks

Balinese storm jail and demand execution of Islamic terrorists who carried out 2002 attacks

October 12, 2005

MIM: It seems to be finally dawning on people that the bombers who carried out the 2002 attacks might have been connected to last month's Bali bombings and that execution is the only way to make sure they cannot orchestrate attacks from prison.

The cleric who was accused of being behind the attacks Bashir, was given a 30 day sentence which was cut by 5 months, and one of the bombers accomplices. Al Imron, was given life imprisonment. Imron was seen at a Starbucks drinking coffee with the chief of police of Jakarta -Gorrie Meres- who later said he had taken Imron on a shopping and cafe excursion in order to eliciti information. As MIM pointed out before, the information, seems to not have been enough to have thwarted the next round of attacks, which were carried out by people connected to the jailed terrrorists. When police and counter terrorism teams from the US swooped down to arrest one of the 2005 bombers, they discovered he had fled a short time before.,leading one to conclude he had been tipped off.

The Indonesian government announced that it was afraid to crack down too hard on the radical Islamists for fear of having an all out war launched against them. So it stands to reason that members of the police and security forces are sympathetic to the Islamist aspirations of the bombers. Pictures of police officials joking and laughing with the bombers after the trial in 2002 show whose side they really are on. (see below),

Protestors storm Bali jail on anniversary of 2002 attacks

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SP329039.htm

By Tomi Soetjipto

KEROBOKAN, Indonesia, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Protesters stormed an Indonesian jail on Wednesday where many bombers behind the 2002 Bali nightclub blasts are incarcerated, just hours after sombre ceremonies to mark the third anniversary of the atrocity. Frustration boiled over at Kerobokan prison, where 500 Balinese demanding immediate execution of three militants on death row for the bombings that killed 202 people destroyed part of the outer wall and knocked down a steel door into the jail. Citing security concerns amid rising public anger, especially after fresh suicide bombings on Oct. 1 which killed 20 people, authorities had moved the three inmates on Tuesday to a penal island off Java.

But a number of other convicted bombers are still in the jail on the famous resort island. Riot police blocked the entrance to the prisoners' cells and later pushed the protesters out. Wearing traditional Balinese headbands and sarongs, the protesters shouted "Kill Amrozi! Kill! Kill! Kill!" and "We have been waiting for three years." The three death row militants are Imam Samudra, Amrozi and his brother Mukhlas, also known as Ali Gufron. Amrozi was the first militant arrested and was dubbed the smiling bomber for his expressions of delight during court appearances. To many Balinese, he has become the focal point of their anger.

Earlier, survivors and relatives of victims of the 2002 nightclub bombings mourned their lost loved ones. About 400 Indonesians and foreigners paid their respects at a monument near Kuta Beach, where the names of the 202 dead are etched in stone near the two nightclubs that Islamic militants linked to al Qaeda blew up three years ago. Amid tight security, family members placed flowers at the base of the granite memorial. Some wept. HORRIFIC "The horrific attack in Bali was committed by people who preached a twisted ideology of hate ... an ideology which is opposed to all religions," visiting Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said in a speech. Most of the dead were tourists, including 88 Australians. Authorities blamed Jemaah Islamiah, seen as the regional arm of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda, for the 2002 blasts. Suspicion has also fallen on Jemaah Islamiah or a splinter group for three suicide bombings at crowded Bali restaurants on Oct. 1.

Bali is a Hindu enclave in overwhelmingly Islamic Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation. Natalie Juniardi, from Sydney, lost her Indonesian husband while she was three months pregnant with her second son. "It's hard but my kids keep me going. They put a smile on my face. But after the last bombing, it's been hard," said Juniardi, who owns a surf shop in Kuta and has seen her sales plummet since the latest attacks. Armed with rifles, hundreds of police mingled with the crowd at the memorial just across from where a car bomb destroyed the packed Sari Club three years ago, incinerating the surrounding area. A second bomb destroyed another nightclub across the road. The solemn occasion was marked by 202 seconds of silence to honour the dead from 20 nations.

"I don't want others to go through what I did," said Indonesian woman Nurhayati, 53, wearing a white Muslim head scarf, who lost her son-in-law. "Six days after the bombing, I finally found his body. It was all burnt and there was nothing but a piece of limb." In Australia, wreathes were laid at a memorial garden at Parliament House in Canberra. Indonesian police said on Tuesday they had made their first arrest in connection with the Oct. 1 attack, picking up a man believed to have shared a house in Bali with one of the bombers. Four Australians were among the dead in the latest attacks. The others were 15 Indonesians and one Japanese. Authorities have arrested and convicted some 30 militants over the 2002 blasts. Several key suspects remain at large.

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Balinese storm jail

By CINDY WOCKNER and STEVE GEE

October 13, 2005

HUNDREDS of Balinese demanding the execution of 2002 Bali bomber Amrozi stormed Kerobokan jail yesterday, knocking down a fence and pulling an iron gate from its hinges.

A crowd of 500 stormed the jail, venting their anger at the latest terrorist bombing and at the failure of authorities to execute bombers from the earlier attack.

It came as emotions ran high in Australia and Bali on the third anniversary of the 2002 attacks which left 88 Australians dead.

A policeman was knocked to the ground by the banner-carrying crowd, which was whipped up by chanting and the angry banging of drums.

Riot police opposed the protesters as they approached the jail's gates.

However the terrorists who were the subject of the fury had been moved to another prison yesterday.

"We just want Amrozi killed soon, no more than that," protester Yuda said.

A senior policeman with a megaphone urged the crowd not to blight Bali's name, but his voice was drowned out by a protesters.

In Australia, anger simmered along with the aching pain of loss.

On the anniversary of his 15-year-old daughter Chloe's death, David Byron told 200 mourners in Coogee he was ashamed of the man he had become.

"You are a parent who has had your child murdered," he said.

"What do you want to do? Do you want to seek revenge? Yes, you want revenge. Do you want to see them dead? Yes, you want to see them dead. Do you want to do it? Yes, you want to do it.

"And you think 'look what they've made me become – that's not me'. They have made me into that and I'm ashamed, but I can't help it."

Services were also held in Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth

Less than a fortnight after four more Australians were killed in the latest atrocity on the holiday island, the thoughts of those touched by the 2002 blasts were also with the newly bereaved, many families keen to offer their hearts to the Newcastle community now sharing their loss.

In Canberra, Newcastle university student Joe Frost, who survived the latest attacks, made an impassioned call for Australians to stand together.

"The important thing is not to let it defeat us," he told a Parliament House service attended by Prime Minister John Howard and Opposition Leader Kim Beazley.

At a ceremony at the headland of Coogee beach, renamed Dolphin Point after the six Coogee Dolphins footballers who were killed in 2002, the names of the 20 Eastern Suburbs victims were unveiled on a plaque.

The father of Sydney teenager Tom Singer spoke of the heartache of victim's families and offered condolences to those torn apart by the latest attack.

"We share your pain. And like you, we cannot comprehend how anyone can perpetrate such a senseless act," Mr Singer said.

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MIM: Terrorist sentenced for life in Bali bombings taken out for shopping and coffee at Starbucks by director of the Jakarta anti narcotics brigade Gorries Mere.

MIM: This picture glorifying Ali Imron and the Starbucks visit was posted on an Islamist Indonesian website

www.swaramuslim.net/

In september 2004 Ali Imron, the Bali bomber sentenced to life dubbed"called the laughing murderer " by the media was taken out to café with director of the Jakarta anti narcotics brigade, Gorries Mere."after they were seen they hurried to a waiting car and left". Australian minister demands an investigation. The perpetrator of the Bali bombing out for an evening of shopping. "it is usual to take suspects out if the police need information". "Taking him out to the café for a drink is a usual method to obtain information about fugitive suspects".

Perpetrator of bombing attack in Bali is allowed an evening of of shopping

Translated by Beila Rabinowitz director MIM:

One of the most important perpetrators of the bombing attacks in Bali and the Marriott Hotel is Jakarta was treated this week to an evening out. Imron, was sentenced to life imprisonment for his part in the attacks, was seen Wednesday evening in one of the most luxurious shopping streets of Jakarta. He drank coffee with the director of the anti narcotics brigade, Gorries Mere. After they were discovered that hurried to a waiting car and sped away.

Ali Imron is one of the main perpetrators of the two attacks, which claimed the lives of more then two hundred people.Two of their brothers, (Amrozi, who was dubbed the 'laughing killer' by the media),and Mukhlas Bin Nurhasyim, were sentenced to death. Ali Imron only got life imprisonment, because he was the only one who expressed remorse, and he was the only one who cooperated with the police after his arrest.

Imron mixed the chemicals and built the deadly bomb which totally destroyed two Bali discoteques which had been crammed with people. He had also trained the two people who would activate the explosion and drove the car with the heaviest bomb to a place close to the vicinity of the attack. Later on he also participated in the preparation in the attack on the Marriot Hotel in Jakarta, which claimed the lives of 11 people on August 5th of last year.

Imron is serving out his sentence in the jail in the Bali capitol of Denpasar. He was recently relocated to Jakarta, in order to assist with a follow up investigation. Gorrie Meer was his interogator from before. "I often go out with Mr. Gorries", Imron said Wednesday to journalists as he was hastily led from the shopping center.

Gorrie Meer had taken Ali Imron to the ' Entertainment Xcenter' one of the trendy shopping centers in Jakarta. They drank coffee at Starbucks where they talked undisturbed for 3 hours.They reportedly also visited the Hardrock Cafe'.

The commander of the National Investigations division, Suyitno Landung Sudjono, admitted that Imron was possibly taken outside by his interrogators in Jakarta.

The commander said this to the Jakarta Post:"It is customary for a convict to be taken outside prison if the police need information. To take him for a drink in a cafe' is a usual method for obtaining information over other fugitive terrorists."

The news about the evening out has caused outrage especially in Australia.Most of the victims of the bomb attacks on Bali were Australians. The Australian minister of foreign affairs, Alexander Downer, said he will investigate the matter. 'We will not accept that this man is walking around freely'. We will investigate this matter and insure that this man is not freed".

Ali Imron's lawyer, Suyanto is hoping for the speedy release of his client. On Wednesday he announced that he had requested a pardon from President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Suyanto finds that his client has earned his freedom, because he , according to the lawyer, has honestly shown remorse, and will not get involved in any other terrorist activity, and above all was an important witness in the investigation into the terrorist network in Indonesia. "Suyanto: " Ali Imron has been a big help to Indonesia".

A recent decision from the Constitutional court of Indonesia could also lead the the release or a drastic reduction in the sentence of Ali Imron. The court has recently nullified a new anti terror law in Indonesia which was applied retroactively in the case of the Bali bombing.

The death sentences which were handed down to the three main suspects in the bombing attacks, as well as Ali Imron's life sentence, were based primarily on the anti terrororism law.

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Bali bombing suspect Amrozi (right) poses for reporters with police

Bombing accomplice Amrozi was dubbed" the laughing killer" by the media

Note that the law enforcement and legal officials behind him also share his glee.

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The picture to the right was captioned "Bomb"! cries happy Amrozi

By Darren Goodsir in Denpasar, Bali, and Stephen Gibbs
August 7, 2003

"...Amrozi, smiling as ever, expressed his glee at the Jakarta outrage in one word. "Bomb!" he shouted as he was led from court to a prison van yesterday.

On the eve of his sentencing for the Bali bombings, Amrozi said he was ready to be given the death penalty today.

His alleged mentor, Imam Samudra, was even more elated that Jakarta's Marriott Hotel had been bombed, and hoped Jewish people were among the dead.

"Happy," he told reporters excitedly when asked for his reaction to the latest atrocity.

"Thanks be to God," said Samudra. "If it's Muslims who have done it, then I'm happy. Especially if it was for Jews . . . hopefully."

Samudra, 33, had yelled out in English as he was led into court: "Go to hell Australia! Where are the Australians..."www.smh.com.au/.../ 2003/08/06/1060145728413.html

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/2485279.stm

"... Indonesian police faced strong criticism for carrying out an hour-long public interrogation of a giggling and gloating Amrozi before journalists on Wednesday.

Correspondents say the spectacle only served to erode the credibility of the investigation, while incensing Australians who bore the brunt of the deaths among foreign tourists..."

. http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:ckpfheS7UjYJ:209.59.159.30/nieuwsbronnen%2520internationaal.htm+moskowicz+nederland+arrestatie+&hl=en

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Original article in Dutch translated above

Dader bomaanslag Bali mag avondje winkelen

JAKARTA - Eén van de belangrijkste daders van de bloedige bomaanslagen op Bali en het Marriott Hotel in Jakarta is deze week getrakteerd op een avondje uit. Imron, veroordeeld tot levenslang voor zijn aandeel in de aanslagen, werd woensdagavond gezien in één van de meest luxueuze winkelstraten van Jakarta. Hij dronk koffie met de directeur van de Indonesische anti-narcoticabrigade, Gorries Mere. Nadat zij waren ontdekt haastten zij zich naar een gereedstaande auto en gingen er vandoor.

Ali Imron is een van de hoofddaders van de twee aanslagen, die aan meer dan tweehonderd mensen het leven kostten. Twee broers van hem, Amrozi (door de media 'de lachende moordenaar' gedoopt) en Mukhlas Bin Nurhasyim, werden ter dood veroordeeld. Ali Imron kreeg slechts levenslang, omdat hij de enige was die spijt betuigde over wat hij had gedaan, en omdat hij na zijn arrestatie als enige meewerkte met de politie.

Imron mengde de chemicaliën en bouwde de dodelijke bommen die in oktober 2002 op Bali twee stampvolle discotheken wegvaagden. Hij trainde ook de mannen die de bommen tot ontploffing zouden brengen, en reed de auto met de zwaarste bom tot vlakbij de plek van de aanslag. Hij deed vervolgens mee aan de voorbereiding van de aanslag op het Marriott Hotel in Jakarta, die op 5 augustus vorig jaar aan elf mensen het leven kostte.

Ali Imron zit zijn straf uit in een gevangenis in de Balinese hoofdstad Denpasar. Hij is onlangs overgeplaatst naar Jakarta, om daar mee te werken aan een vervolgonderzoek. Gorries Mere was zijn ondervrager van weleer. 'Ik ga vaak op stap met meneer Gorries', zei Ali Imron woensdag in het voorbijgaan tegen journalisten, toen hij haastig het winkelcentrum werd uitgeleid.

Gorries Mere had Ali Imron meegenomen naar het 'Entertainment X'nter', een van de trendy winkelcomplexen van Jakarta. Zij dronken koffie bij Starbucks, waar zij drie uur lang ongestoord met elkaar zaten te praten. Ook zouden zij het Hardrockcafé hebben bezocht.

De commandant van de nationale recherche, Suyitno Landung Sudjono, gaf toe dat Imron in Jakarta is en misschien door zijn ondervragers mee naar buiten is genomen.

Tegen de krant The Jakarta Post zei de politiecommandant: 'Het is gebruikelijk een veroordeelde uit zijn gevangenis te halen als de politie informatie nodig heeft. Hem meenemen voor een drankje in een café kan een bruikbare methode zijn om informatie los te krijgen over andere, voortvluchtige terroristen.'

Het nieuws over het avondje uit van Ali Imron is vooral in Australië met ontzetting ontvangen. De meeste slachtoffers van de bomaanslag op Bali waren Australiërs. De Australische minister van Buitenlandse Zaken, Alexander Downer, zei de zaak te zullen onderzoeken. 'Wij accepteren niet dat deze man vrij rondloopt. Wij zullen de zaak onderzoeken en wij zullen ons ervan verzekeren dat deze man niet vrijkomt.'

Ali Imrons advocaat, Suyanto, hoopt wél op een spoedige vrijlating van zijn cliënt. Hij liet donderdag weten dat hij president Megawati Soekarnoputri om gratie heeft gevraagd.

Suyanto vindt dat zijn cliënt de vrijlating heeft verdiend omdat hij, aldus de advocaat, eerlijk spijt heeft betuigd, zich nooit meer met terroristische activiteiten zal inlaten en bovendien een belangrijke getuige is geweest in het politieonderzoek naar het terroristische netwerk in Indonesië. Suyanto: 'Ali Imron heeft Indonesië erg geholpen.'

Ook een recente uitspraak van het Indonesische Constitutionele Hof zou kunnen leiden tot vrijlating of drastische strafvermindering van Ali Imron. Het Hof verklaarde onlangs een wet ongeldig die de nieuwe antiterreurwet van Indonesië met terugwerkende kracht van toepassing verklaarde op de aanslag op Bali.

De doodstraffen tegen de drie hoofdverdachten van de bomaanslagen, en ook Ali Imrons levenslang, waren vooral gebaseerd op de antiterreurwet. (Michel Maas)


13 augustus 2004

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For this article and background information on the Bali bombings click on the url

newswww.bbc.net.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3157478.stm

The Bali bombing plot

The seeds of the October 2002 Bali bombings plot were probably sown in a hotel room in southern Thailand 10 months earlier.

At a secret meeting of operatives from South East Asian militant network Jemaah Islamiah, a man known as Hambali is believed to have ordered a new strategy of hitting soft targets like nightclubs and bars rather than high-profile sites like foreign embassies.

But it was not until August 2002 that Bali was chosen as the place to strike.

According to Ali Imron, who has been jailed for life for his part in the attacks, it was at a meeting in a house in Solo, central Java, that "field commander" Imam Samudra announced the plan to bomb Bali, and the main agents in the plot first came together.

Their duty was to explode the bombs, they were ready to die
Ali Imron

Bali was chosen "because it was frequented by Americans and their associates", Ali Imron has said. He quoted Imam Samudra as saying it was part of a jihad to "defend the people of Afghanistan from America".

In fact, more Australians and Indonesians would die than Americans, prompting speculation that the plotters were poorly informed, or orchestrated by other people still at large.

Hambali, who is now in US custody, is believed to have been the South East Asian contact for Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.

But he is not thought to have played an active part in the Bali plotting.

Instead, a 43-year-old Islamic teacher known as Mukhlas has been convicted for the overall co-ordination of the attacks.

Prosecutors said he approved the targets and channelled the funds to finance the bombings, even though Mukhlas himself claimed he just gave the bombers religious guidance.

He also recruited two of his younger brothers, Amrozi and Ali Imron, to carry out key roles in the attack.

Mukhlas and Imam Samudra are said to have chaired preparatory meetings in western Java during August and September.

Ali Imron has said that the Bali attacks were originally planned for 11 September, to mark the first anniversary of the terror attacks on the US.

But the bombs were apparently not ready in time, and the plans had to be postponed.

Final planning

The details of the attack were finalised in Bali between 6 and 10 October.

The bombers apparently all had separate roles.

A man called Idris, who has not yet stood trial for his suspected part in the attack, is accused of gathering funds and arranging transport and accommodation for the bombers in the days leading up to the attack.

Amrozi has admitted to buying the chemicals and the minivan used in the Sari club blast and Ali Imron to helping him.

Ali Imron has said a man called Dulmatin, whom Indonesian police are still looking for, helped assemble the bombs, and a man called Abdul Ghoni mixed the explosives. Ali Imron said he helped make the main bomb, which was used to bomb the Sari club.

He said a van loaded with explosives was driven to Sari by a man called Jimi, who died in the blast. A man called Iqbal wore a vest with a bomb in it, which he detonated in Paddy's Bar.

"Their duty was to explode the bombs," Ali Imron had said. "They were ready to die."

Iqbal is known to have died in Paddy's Bar. But Ali Imron has also told police that the two bombs exploded prematurely, which could have caught Iqbal out, so it is unclear if he was on a suicide mission.

With the conviction of Mukhlas, the last of those detained for playing a major role have now been sentenced.

But several key suspects remain at large.

These include two Malaysians - Dr Azahari Husin, who is alleged to be JI's top bomb-making expert and the man who helped assemble the Bali bombs, and Noordin Mohd Top.

Their work was allegedly responsible for the massive explosions which rocked Legian Street in Kuta, Bali, on the early morning of 12 October 2002, leaving 202 people dead.

The attack was a team effort, but it has apparently provoked different reactions from those involved.

Imam Samudra is said by police to have stayed in Bali for several days after the bombing to survey the devastation he wrought and observe the reactions of people he affected.

Ali Imron has shed tears in court, and has repeatedly expressed remorse from his actions.

Amrozi has laughed and joked about his case, and gave a thumbs-up sign when he was convicted. He has said he is happy to die a martyr.

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