A key militant arrested from Abbottabad goes on trial in Indonesia on Monday on multiple charges, including the 2002 Bali bombings. Umar Patek, 45, faces six counts including premeditated murder, bomb-making and illegal firearms possession, and prosecutors say they will push for the death sentence. “Umar Patek is a dangerous figure wanted not only in Indonesia but also in other countries such as the Philippines. He has caused the deaths of many,” prosecutor Bambang Suharyadi told AFP.
“The prosecutors will recommend the stiffest sentence for him,” he said. “The charges against him all carry the death penalty, whether or not the offences fall under the anti-terrorism law or the criminal code.” Patek, believed to be a key member of the al Qaeda-linked Southeast Asian terror network Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), had a $1 million bounty on his head under the US rewards for justice programme. He was extradited to Indonesia after being arrested in January 2011 from Abbottabad.
The trial at the West Jakarta district court is expected to drag out over four months as prosecutors present evidence from 86 witnesses. They will testify to Patek’s decade-long involvement in terror, Suharyadi said.
“We will track his activities, from the church attacks in 2000 and Bali attacks in 2002 to his roles in the militant training camp in Aceh,” on Sumatra island, he added.
first we need to do something to end the use of IEDs.
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