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wenty-one of the 102 terror suspects arrested earlier this year at their military training ground in Aceh were charged at the West Jakarta District Court on Thursday with terrorism and gun possession and face sentences ranging from six years in prison to death if convicted.

The most notorious suspects among the Aceh Group are Muchtar, Rohman “Aman Abdurrahman” and Muchtar bin Tengku Muchtar Ibrahim, who allegedly played key roles in the training camp.

Muchtar was a member of the Aceh branch of the hard-line Islam Defenders Front. In their indictment, prosecutors said Muchtar became involved in terrorist activity after taking part in indoctrination sessions led by alleged Jamaah Islamiyah leader, the late Joko “Dulmatin” Pitono, in early 2009.

The prosecutors also claimed Muchtar was responsible for a grenade attack on the Unicef office in Banda Aceh in March 2009. He was also implicated in an attempt to murder Erhard Bauer, the chief of the German Red Cross in Indonesia.

“Erhard Bauer remains afraid to go to Aceh because he is still traumatized by the attempt on his life,” Bambang, one of the prosecutor, told the hearing.

Apart from targeting Bauer, Muchtar and his cohorts also allegedly fired on the house of US citizens Michelle Laila Ahmad and Sarah Ditz Willis in Banda Aceh in 2009.

Bambang said Muchtar acted out of his belief that the presence of so many Christian foreigners threatened local values.

Prosecutors accused Muchtar of violating the antiterrorism law, meaning he faces a possible life sentence.

Prosecutors said Rohman was involved in preparing the training camp.

Another prosecutor, Firmansyah, said Rohman was informed about plans to conduct military training in Aceh by Dulmatin, who was killed by police in a raid in Pamulang, near Jakarta, in March.

“Dulmatin asked Rohman for his support for the military training that, according to Dulmatin, was aimed at providing assistance for their Muslim brethren in countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq,” Firmansyah told the court.

Rohman then allegedly gave Rp 20 million and US$100 of his money on several occasions between the end of 2009 and early 2010 to Dulmatin to support the training program. Firmansyah said that according to Rohman, the money came from his honorarium as a preacher.

Prosecutors added that Rohman encouraged three of his pupils, Agus “Mus’af bin Nasim” Kasdianto, La Ode “Hafidz” Afif and Rofi to participate in the Aceh training. Agus and La Ode are among those on trial.

Before his arrest, Rohman had been detained at Bandung’s Sukamiskin Prison for his role in previous terrorist plot. During his incarceration, Rohman met Yudi Zulfahri, one of the Institute of Public Administration (STPDN) graduates who was imprisoned for assaulting his juniors.

Captivated by Rohman’s radical views, Yudi, an Acehnese, decided to take part in the Aceh training. Yudi was then appointed to head the Aceh cell of al-Qaeda.

Following the hearing, Rohman insisted he had done nothing wrong by participating in the training camp.

“I did what I was obligated to do by my religion and this was definitely not a crime. As a devout Muslim, I must be able to help my brothers in faith who are being oppressed by the infidels,” he said from his cell.