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Jakarta Post

Death penalty sought for Pepi

Prosecutors are demanding the death penalty for Pepi Fernando, the alleged mastermind behind a series of mail bombs in Jakarta earlier this year and other terror attacks aimed at the President last year

The Jakarta Post
Jakarta
Fri, November 4, 2011 Published on Nov. 4, 2011 Published on 2011-11-04T08:00:00+07:00

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P

rosecutors are demanding the death penalty for Pepi Fernando, the alleged mastermind behind a series of mail bombs in Jakarta earlier this year and other terror attacks aimed at the President last year.

“[Pepi] planned and incited others to commit acts of terrorism. The maximum punishment for this is the death penalty because he was the mastermind behind these [attacks],” prosecutor Rini Hartatie said as she read the indictment at the West Jakarta District Court on Thursday.

Pepi’s alleged collaborator, Imam Mochammad Firdaus, was also tried at the same court later in the day. Prosecutors demanded a 12-year sentence for the former TV cameraman, whose role was to document Pepi’s terrorist attacks.

Pepi planned a number of terrorist attacks, including two aimed at President Susilo Bambang Yudho-yono, the prosecution said.

In the first attempt in August last year, a bomb was put near a traffic light in Cawang, East Jakarta, and was set to explode while the President’s motorcade passed.

In the second attempt, which also failed, Pepi targeted the same motorcade by planting a bomb near the President’s private residence in Cikeas, West Java.

The mail bombs were delivered in March, with the explosives concealed inside books and delivered to several addresses in Jakarta.

The targets were Liberal Islam Network (JIL) leader Ulil Abshar Abdalla, National Narcotics Agency head Gorris Mere and musician Ahmad Dani. A police officer was badly injured while trying to defuse a bomb at JIL’s office in Utan Kayu, East Jakarta.

Pepi then allegedly planned to bomb the Puspiptek complex in Serpong, Banten, the site of a nuclear reactor.

After that, he began targeting churches, and his group planted a bomb near a church in Cakung, East Jakarta. The bomb exploded before the designated time and killed a non-targeted scavenger.

Pepi was arrested in Aceh in April, when a plan was already in motion to blow up Christ Cathedral Church in Gading Serpong, Banten.

Pepi allegedly informed Imam of the plan to bomb Christ Cathedral Church, including the detonation time, while visiting the latter’s house in East Jakarta.

“The defendant [Imam] intentionally facilitated terrorists by hiding information of their actions,” prosecutor Teguh Suhendro said.

They were planning to film the attack and sell it to Al Jazeera, and met with Bobi, said to be a contributor for the TV channel, to share the plan.

“After sharing the plan with Bobi, however, it appears that [Bobi’s] boss at Al Jazeera refused to air the attack, saying it was against humanity and journalistic ethics,” Teguh said.

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