10 suspected Islamic militants tried in Indonesia
ICC Note:
The trial has begun today for ten men suspected of killing a Christian schoolteacher and bombing a cafe in Indonesia. The men are likely members of the terrorist network Jemaah Islamiyah.
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1/13/09 Indonesia (AP) Ten suspected Islamic militants went on trial Tuesday in an Indonesian court for allegedly killing a Christian schoolteacher and plotting to bomb a cafe.
The defendants, including a Singaporean who allegedly met al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, face sentences of up to life in prison if convicted on charges of illegal possession of explosives, murder, plotting a terrorist attack and harboring fugitives.
The men are suspected members of the Southeast Asian terrorist network Jemaah Islamiyah, which is accused of carrying out several suicide bombings against Western targets in Indonesia since 2002, including bombings on the resort island of Bali, their indictment said.
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The men were arrested in police raids last July in which authorities seized 22 explosive devices packed with bullets. They were allegedly intended to cause maximum damage at a bar frequented by non-Muslims, Kafe Bedudel, in a hilly resort town on the island of Sumatra.
The attack was apparently called off after the plotters realized it might unintentionally kill Muslims.
The men are also accused of fatally shooting Indonesian teacher Dago Simamora in front of his 9-year-old son in 2007 in the south Sumatran town of Palembang, the indictment said. They also attempted to kill Catholic priest in 2005, prosecutors allege.
