06/04/2012 Indonesia (The Jakarta Globe) - The prosecution rejected terrorism suspect Umar Patek's claims that he only played minor roles in two deadly bombings, calling the alleged Bali bombing mastermind's defense baseless.
"The prosecutor demands the panel of judges reject the defendant's defense," prosecutor Iwan Setiawan said. "We urge the judges to find the defendant guilty and hand down a life sentence."
Patek had claimed that the prosecution had ignored his testimony when they demanded a life sentence. The former Jemaah Islamiyah member testified that he was not the mastermind behind either the 2002 bombings in Bali or the 2000 Christmas Eve bombing of a church in Jakarta.
The terrorism suspect said that while he did mix the chemicals used in the Bali bombing, he did not plan the deadly attack. The bombing of two nightclubs in the popular Kuta tourist district killed 202 people, mostly Australians and Indonesians.
Patek admitted to setting the timer for the bomb used in the 2000 bombing of a Jakarta church on Christmas Eve. But again, Patek denied planning the attack.
The prosecutor rejected Patek's claims.
"The indictment was based on testimony from witnesses, defendants and on evidence," Iwan said. "The prosecutor has analyzed them all. The prosecutor did not act carelessly. We have carefully and comprehensively presented crystal clear evidence."
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