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Prosecutors seek death for pro-IS group cleric
Terror trial: Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) head Aman Abdurrahman aka Oman Rochman is escorted under tight security before his trial at the South Jakarta District Court on Friday
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error trial: Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) head Aman Abdurrahman aka Oman Rochman is escorted under tight security before his trial at the South Jakarta District Court on Friday. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
Prosecutors have asked a panel of judges to sentence pro-Islamic State (IS) group cleric Aman Abdurrahman to death for allegedly inspiring a series of terror attacks in the country through his radical teachings, despite being imprisoned as a terror convict.
The prosecution team read the sentence demand at the South Jakarta District Court, which was heavily guarded on Friday morning. They accused Aman of inspiring at least five terror attacks in 2016 and 2017, including a bombing and shooting on Jl. MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta.
In the hearing, the prosecutors said Aman deserved the death penalty because he was a terrorist recidivist. The 45-year-old was previously found guilty of coordinating a bombing in Cimanggis, Depok, West Java, in 2004, for which he was sentenced to seven years in prison.
In 2010, Aman again faced imprisonment over his involvement in the funding of terrorist group exercises in Aceh. He was sentenced to seven years in prison on Nusakambangan prison island, Cilacap, Central Java.
Prosecutor Mayasari said Aman had encouraged Islamist militants grouped under the local Jamaah Ansharud Daulah (JAD) to carry out attacks. The JAD is said to be the largest pro-IS group in the country and has been blamed for the recent terror attacks.
Aman was not a coordinator of the JAD, but the group referred to his teachings found in a book series on tawhid (the oneness of God), and thought of him as higher than the emir of the JAD, Mayasari said.
His teachings, including on Syirik democracy (the blasphemy of democracy), were widely circulated after being published on Aman’s blog millahibrahim.wordpress.com.
Aman allegedly encouraged his followers to participate in amaliyah (attacks related to interreligious conflict) and fight the troops of thogut (those who disobey God) which include the government and police.
He was accused of violating Article 14 of Law No. 15/2003 on terrorism. “We couldn’t find anything that might soften his sentence,” Mayasari told the panel of judges led by Akhmad Jaini.
Aman is the first pro-IS group cleric to potentially face the death penalty.
In 2008, the country executed three terrorists, Abdul Aziz alias Imam Samudra, Ali Gufron alias Mukhlas and Amrozi, all members of Jamaah Islamiah (JI) who were involved in the 2002 Bali bombing.
Other JI members, Iwan Darmawan Muntho alias Rois and Ahmad Hasan, who were involved in the 2004 Australian Embassy bombing in Kuningan, South Jakarta, are on death row.
It was revealed in the hearing that in November 2015, the JAD held a national gathering in Villa Batu, Malang, for three days by disguising the event as a herbal medication workshop.
Aman, who was then detained on Nusakambangan prison island, conveyed his message on amaliyah to some 30 participants through a video call.
Also in November 2015, Aman allegedly encouraged Ambon JAD head Saiful Munthohir alias Abu Gar to carry out amaliyah, mirroring the attack in Paris.
Aman was referring to the Paris terror attack on Nov. 13, 2015, where hundreds of people were killed or injured.
Rois, who was also detained on Nusakambangan prison island, conveyed detailed instructions to Abu Gar and allegedly provided Rp 200 million (US$14,127) to execute the attack, which was initially planned to be carried out on Jl. Sabang, Central Jakarta, an area popular among tourists.
The plan later changed when the four perpetrators recruited by Abu Gar instead bombed a Starbucks and a police post in Sarinah, Jl. MH Thamrin on Jan. 14, 2016, an attack that killed eight, four of whom were civilians.
Aman’s teachings are believed to have inspired several terror attacks, such as the Samarinda HKBP Oikumene church bombing on Nov. 13, 2016, which killed a toddler, and the Kampung Melayu twin bombings that killed three policemen on May 25, 2017.
On June 28 last year, Aman’s followers attacked a North Sumatra Police post, and stabbed to death a police officer.
“His actions have led to the death or injury of many people,” Mayasari said.
In the hearing, the prosecutors also demanded the state compensate the 16 victims of the Thamrin and Kampung Melayu attacks, with the amount ranging from Rp 28 million to Rp 379 million.
Aman is set to present his defense next week. “Both of us [Aman and his lawyer] will read out the defense,” Aman said.
The JAD has been blamed for a series of recent terror attacks, including the deadly riot at the Mobile Brigade headquarters (Mako Brimob) in Depok, West Java, and a series of bombings that killed at least 13 people in Surabaya and Sidoarjo, East Java.
Aman, who was being held in a separate block at the Mako Brimob detention center away from the instigators of the riot, reportedly played a role in ending the 36-hour standoff between terror detainees and the police.
