An Indonesian court has sentenced a Muslim militant to death for his pivotal role in the Bali bombings, the second time the death penalty has been passed in connection with the attacks.
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Samudra being led
into court today |
Imam Samudra, a 33-year-old computer expert, had been charged with plotting, organising and carrying out crimes of terror in relation to the nightclub blasts last October 12th that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists.
Samudra pumped his fist into the air as he was led out by police. "Go to hell, you infidels," he yelled in English.
Earlier, Judge Ifa Sudewi said that "the defendant (played) a dominant role in the Bali bomb blasts and ... is the intellectual mastermind behind the Bali bomb explosions".
Samudra (33) an Afghan-trained fighter, has said he wants to die as a martyr.
But during the trial he denied the charges that he had commanded the group of militants who carried out the Bali attack.
Prosecutors said Samudra selected the recruits and helped fund the attacks. His goal, they said, was to avenge the treatment of Muslims at the hands of the United States and Israel.
Almost half of the victims of the twin blasts were Australian tourists, while seven were from the United States.
Samudra's lawyers immediately said they would appeal against the sentence, claiming that he did not deserve to be put to death.
Death sentences in Indonesia are rare, but are allowed under a new anti-terror law adopted in the wake of the Bali attack. They are carried out by a firing squad of 15 paramilitary policemen. Agencies