[BenarNews] An Indonesian court sentenced a bomb-maker for the Jemaah Islamiyah holy warrior group to life in prison on Wednesday for his involvement in a series of deadly bombings in Central Sulawesi province in the mid-2000s.
| JI still has other members who are skilled in bomb-making, thanks to their participating in military training in places such as Afghanistan, the southern Philippines and Syria. |
The 42-year-old defendant, Taufiq Bulaga (also known as Upik Lawanga), one of the top leaders of JI, a regional holy warrior network affiliated with al-Qaeda, was arrested late last year after being on the run for 14 years. Indonesian authorities have blamed JI for carrying out the 2002 Bali bombings — the country’s deadliest terrorist attack to date — as well as attacks on hotels in Jakarta in the 2000s, among other atrocities.
Judges at the East Jakarta District Court found Taufiq guilty of assembling bombs used in three terrorist attacks that left 29 people dead in Poso regency, which was the scene of Moslem-Christian violence at the turn of the century. |