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| Southeast Asia |
| Jail terms sought for 4 militants over Bali blasts |
| 2006-08-08 |
| DENPASAR, Indonesia - Indonesian prosecutors on Tuesday sought jail terms of up to 15 years to four militants accused of involvement in the 2005 Bali bombings. The four have been on trial under anti-terrorism laws since May over various roles in the Oct. 1, 2005 suicide blasts that ripped through three restaurants on the resort island, killing 20 people. The highest demand—a 15-year jail term—was sought for Muhammad Cholily, who prosecutors said had close links with Azahari Husin and Noordin Top, leading figures in the al Qaeda-linked Southeast Asian network Jemaah Islamiah, blamed for various bombings in Indonesia. “Cholily was directly involved in the Bali bombings. His role is very big because the defendant made the bombs with Azahari. The bombs were later transported by Noordin Top,” prosecutor Suhadi told reporters after the trial session in a district court. In separate trials, prosecutors asked the Denpasar court to punish the other three, including Anif Solchanuddin who is accused of delivering bombs to Top, with 10 years in jail each. Under Indonesian law, sentencing demands from the prosecution serve as strong advice, but judges could also punish defendants with harsher sentences. That means all four could still receive the death sentence, the maximum penalty for their charges, if convicted. Jemaah Islamiah is also blamed by police for another terror strike in Bali, the 2002 nightclub bombings that killed 202 people, mostly foreigners, partying on the tourist island. Azahari, who often travelled with Top, was killed last year during a shoot-out near the East Java city of Malang. In a late April raid, Indonesian police killed two militant suspects at Top’s suspected hideout in the Central Java town of Wonosobo, but failed to capture him. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #1 Maybe they will get 2 years in the can, like their partners. |
| Posted by: Snease Shaiting3550 2006-08-08 19:49 |