T

he 23-year-old herbal product seller accused of masterminding the foiled attempt to bomb the Myanmar Embassy in Jakarta in May was indicted on terrorism charges that carry a maximum sentence of death.

In a court hearing at the South Jakarta District Court on Wednesday, prosecutor Heru Anggoro said that Sigit Indrajit had violated Article 7, 9, 13(c) and 15 of the 2003 Anti-Terrorism Law with death as the maximum penalty.

Heru said that Sigit, an Islamic State of Indonesia (NII) member, hatched the bomb plot at his rented house in Pamulang, South Tangerang, Banten, in April.

'€œAt the time, the defendant called on his friends, Priyo Utomo, Ovhie and Mambo, to do a '€˜good deed'€™ '€” bomb the Myanmar Embassy in retaliation for the country'€™s persecution of Rohingya Muslims,'€ Heru read in the indictment.

Sigit was reportedly introduced to terrorism in 2010 after having discussions with Gunadi, an imam with the Al-Islam mosque in Serpong, Tangerang.

Gunadi told him the history of the NII, a movement established by Kartosuwiryo in 1949 that sought to transform Indonesia into an Islamic nation.

After joining the NII movement, Sigit befriended fellow NII member, Rokhadi, on social networking site Facebook.

'€œThe defendant and Rokhadi have the same view of jihad and believe that Indonesia is '€˜Darul Harbi'€™ or a battleground because the nation is not based on Allah'€™s law,'€ Heru read.

With the help of Rokhadi, Sigit began having talks with various jihadists, including Saiful, Achmad Taufiq '€” alias Ovhie, Syafi'€™i and Separiano '€” and Mambo.

In January, they gathered at Sigit'€™s grandmother house in Serpong where Mambo led a training in bomb-making.

Later in April, Sigit drew up the plan to bomb the Myanmar Embassy on May 3, the day when the Islamic People'€™s Forum (FUI) was scheduled to stage a rally there.

Under Sigit'€™s request, Rokhadi transferred Rp 300,000 (US$25) to a bank account belonging to Sigit'€™s wife.

Sigit handed Rp 200,000 to Ovhie to procure a blender, which was used to chop up materials used in the bomb.

Sigit, Mambo and Ovhie assembled five pipe bombs at Mambo'€™s house on Jalan Bangka, South Jakarta, on May 1.

A day later, their plan was foiled when the police arrested Mambo and Ovhie and confiscated the bombs. The two were on their way to meet Sigit at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta. The police then raided Mambo'€™s house.

Sigit went on the run, briefly hiding at several spots in Sukabumi and Bogor in West Java and in the Bangka Belitung Islands before being arrested at Tanjung Priok Port in North Jakarta on May 22.

Similar to Sigit, Mambo, Ovhie and Rokhadi could also face the death penalty for their involvement in the terror plot.

The clashes between Rohingya Muslims and Rakhine Buddhists in the northern Rakhine state in Myanmar have attracted both sympathy and resentment in Indonesia, the most populous Muslim-majority country.

Some Islamic groups have staged protests and donated humanitarian aid in response to the clashes, which left around 200 dead and tens of thousands displaced. Meanwhile, some individuals and groups went further by initiating retaliatory actions against the Myanmar government and Buddhist adherents.

Following the foiled attack at the Myanmar Embassy, a small bomb exploded at a Buddhist temple in West Jakarta, slightly injuring three people, on Aug. 4. The police have not discovered the group responsible for the attack.