Bali bombing accomplice gets eight years in jail

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Wed, 09/06/2006 7:32 AM

Luh Putu Trisna Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

Abdul Aziz, the first person to be sentenced for involvement in last October's bombings in Bali, received an eight-year jail term Tuesday for aiding terrorist mastermind Noordin M. Top.

The Denpasar District Court, which heard testimony from 25 witnesses, said the 31-year-old former computer teacher was guilty of having clear links to the Jamaah Islamiyah-linked terrorist network led by fugitive Noordin. It has been blamed for the Oct. 1 attack and several others across the country.

He was found to have harbored Noordin and designed websites at his request.

""The defendant has been proven guilty of committing a serious crime against humanity and human rights,"" the judge said in the verdict.

Although prosecutor Olopan Nainggolan demanded a 10-year sentence, he said: ""I am quite satisfied with the verdict.""

Aziz, who had taught computer science at an Islamic boarding school in Pekalongan, Central Java, became a member of Jamaah Islamiyah in Surabaya, East Java, in 1995.

The court heard that Noordin recruited Azis to design a website promoting attacks on ""infidels"". He also delivered a video recording, containing the testimony of the three Bali suicide bombers and a statement by Noordin, to media organizations.

Aziz reportedly met Noordin at least 10 times in creating the website, including in a restaurant and a laboratory at his high school, and allowed him to stay overnight at the school.

""God is great,"" Aziz replied when asked for comment on the verdict.

His lawyer, Zulfikar Ramli, complained the verdict was too severe, and said his client was only guilty of indirect involvement in the terrorist act through association with the group.

Although he conceded Aziz knew others involved in the bombings but did not report them to the police, he argued he did not distribute the video and was unaware of its content.

At least 20 people were killed and 151 injured in the attacks, popularly known as ""Bali bombings 2"" to distinguish them from the October 2002 blasts. The victims were dining out at three restaurants and cafes in Central Kuta and Jimbaran Bay when the suicide bombers struck.

Aziz is one of four men charged in the attacks, all accused of helping hide Noordin or helping transport explosives. Verdicts for the other three are expected by next week, AP said.

Noordin was formerly a key member of Jamaah Islamiyah, which has been weakened by scores of arrests in recent years, but security experts say he now appears to be operating independently.

In a separate trial in Surabaya, prosecutors accused Achmad Arif Hermansyah of storing explosives used in the Sept. 9, 2004 suicide car bomb attack in front of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta. The trial was adjourned until Sept. 12, AP said.

About 150 militants have been arrested on terrorism-related charges since 2002, with at least three sentenced to death.

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