 Umar Patek is a tiny man, pixie-faced and slump-shouldered inside the white garment worn by devout Muslims. He said, "I'm a quiet person, shy, and low in education," just before his trial for terrorism and mass murder continued yesterday.
But this small man helped create the bombs that tore apart two Bali nightclubs 10 years ago and killed 202 people.
Patek has admitted mixing about 50 kilograms of chemicals to go into almost a ton of explosives used in the bombs.
| Successfully mixing explosives that explode only on schedule is a rare ability, as the many reported work accidents over the years attest -- Mutual of Gaza has been paying out from reserves for ages, and Al Qaeda doesn't even offer insurance to the many MBAs who take their course. |
But throughout the four months of his trial he has emphasised his unimportance. He told the court he was "a deer" among such "elephants" of the plot as the already executed Imam Samudra, Mukhlas and Amrozi.
| No doubt. But their plotting would have been to no avail, absent the technical skills of little Patek. |
But in his heart Patek knew what he had done. He said, "My conscience says I am guilty. I did mix [explosive] materials."
Despite this, his lawyers have maintained that he should be found not guilty of the bombings, and guilty only of forging passports.
| The man is a commercial artist as well? Truly, he has more than most to be modest about. |
They say he opposed the killing of innocents, voiced his opposition to the Bali plot and participated reluctantly. Thus he had "not deliberately" contributed.
| It's awfully hard to accidentally mix up a bomb capable of killing several hundred people... |
The death sentence is possible for these charges but prosecutors have asked for life in prison. Yesterday Patek made a plea for 10 years or less. He said, "[The explosives I mixed were] less than 50 kilograms. I am guilty for that but ... I believe the panel of judges must consider my motive ... my state of psychology. The panel of judges must consider my disagreement [with the tactics] and that it wasn't my call."
| "They put something on my neck, your honour. It controlled me completely...and nobody could hear me scream." |
Patek said he was originally lured into jihad in 1991 by Dulmatin (killed in a shootout with police in 2010), who took him to Malaysia as a young man to find work and study religion under radical teacher Mukhlas.
Twenty years later he has lost little of his fanaticism. He said, "My position about jihad remains the same. It is an obligation of every Muslim to carry out jihad."
However, holy war should only be waged against those "who attack Muslims". He said, "My question was, did the Balinese attack Muslims in Bali? Or did the bule [white foreigners] in Bali attack Muslims? Or were they Jews? I think the correct way is to go to Palestine and fight the Jews who slaughtered Palestinians."
Other hardcore beliefs continue. Patek said Abu Bakar Bashir, now serving a 15-year jail sentence for supporting a jihadi training camp in Aceh, was harmless. He said, "I think he only preaches. I think there's nothing wrong with preaching."
Patek has issued apologies to his victims and asked their families to forgive him.
Asked what he could do in reparation, he said there was nothing except to say that "Islam is not a religion of violence".
| Except for the jihad thingy, but surely that is a minor detail. |
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