Court jails Bali bomber for 20 years

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2012-06-22

Bomber Umar Patek who has been found guilty of making explosives used in the 2002 blasts that killed 202 people, mostly foreigners, in Bali was Thursday sentenced to 20 years in prison.

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Patek was found guilty of murder and bomb-making in connection with the Bali attacks and will spend the next 19 years in custody after the court took into consideration the one year he has been in jail since his arrest.

Chief judge Encep Yuliardi said Patek was "legally and convincingly" guilty of all five charges including premeditated murder.

He was convicted of possessing weapons and smuggling weapons, ammunition and explosive materials into Indonesia, providing assistance to an act of terrorism by hiding information about a terrorist act, forging documents and possessing explosive materials.

Patek, was arrested in January 2011 in Abbottabad, the Pakistani town where Osama Bin Laden was later killed, admitted helping mix chemicals, but denied he was involved beyond that.

Prosecutors did not ask for the death penalty after Patek apologised to victims and their families.

Patek, the last key player to be tried in Indonesia in relation to the Bali attacks, said he should be found not guilty of all except document forgery.

The Bali attacks, blamed on the Jemaah Islamiah militant network, targeted Paddy's Bar and the Sari Club in the resort of Kuta. Those killed were from 21 countries, including 88 Australians, 38 Indonesians and 28 Britons.

Three men were executed in 2008 for playing key roles in the attacks and two others have been killed in raids.

Source: Thailand News.net