Judges at an Indonesian court yesterday ruled to continue with the terrorism trial of the self-confessed leader of Islamic militant network Jemaah Islamiyah. Zarkasi, who is said to have become the acting head of JI in 2004 after his predecessor was arrested, was captured in Central Java in June last year in what was seen as a major blow to the organisation blamed for the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people. Prosecutors have charged the 45-year-old, who is known under several aliases, with plotting, attempting or assisting in acts of terrorism, smuggling weapons and other dangerous materials, and moving and using them for terror purposes. “The South Jakarta court, based on a decree of the Supreme Court, has the authority to hear this case... The prosecutor’s indictment is already clear and complete,” said Eddy Refdianto, head of the panel of judges hearing the case. The decision overruled the arguments of Zarkasi’s defence team, which had said the court had no authority to hear the case as the crimes he was accused of committing did not occur in Jakarta. They also said the case should be dropped because the indictment was vague and incomplete.
The judge ordered prosecutors to summons witnesses who will be heard when the trial resumes in a week. Under IndonesiaÂ’s tough anti-terror laws, Zarkasi could face the death penalty for his crimes, which are allegedly related to sectarian violence in the restive district of Poso in Central Sulawesi. He is said to have known of various attacks on non-Muslims in the region, including the 2005 beheading of three schoolgirls, a crime that grabbed world headlines. He is also accused of ordering explosives to be sent to Poso in mid-2006 and overseeing the purchase, storing and movement of explosives and firearms.
In three separate cases yesterday judges at the same court ruled that the trials of five other alleged JI militants will also continue next week.