https://www.scmp.com/rss/186514/feed On October 12, 2002, Bali fell victim to the deadliest act of terrorism in Indonesia's history. Three bombs were detonated in busy nightclubs in the popular Kuta district, killing 202 people and injuring more than 200 others. Members of Jemaah Islamiyah, an extremist Islamist group, were convicted over the bombings and in November 2008 Imam Samudra, Amrozi Nurhasyim and Huda bin Abdul Haq were executed by firing squad. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Aisyah Llewellyn Aisyah Llewellyn In a quiet cafe in Surabaya, the scent of freshly brewed coffee drifts through the air – a far cry from the sulphur and smoke that once defined Umar Patek’s past. “Before, I was known for something that hurt the world,” he told This Week in Asia. “Now I have chosen a different path.” Patek was once one of the most wanted men on the planet for the role he played in the Bali bombings that left hundreds dead over two decades ago. Now, the convicted bomber is brewing something else entirely: peace,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3312522/bali-bomber-umar-patek-seeks-second-chance-brewing-peace-coffee?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3312522/bali-bomber-umar-patek-seeks-second-chance-brewing-peace-coffee?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 May 2025 06:30:08 +0000 Over two decades and 37 surgeries on, Chusnul Chotimah is still reeling from the night she survived the Bali bombing, which killed 202 in one of the world’s deadliest militant attacks. Covered in burn scars, Chusnul, 55, now fears losing access to life-saving treatments after Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto announced US$19 billion in budget cuts to fund his election promises, such as school lunches, a move economists say could disrupt services in the Southeast Asian nation and crimp... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3299742/prabowos-budget-cuts-threaten-aid-bali-bombing-survivors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3299742/prabowos-budget-cuts-threaten-aid-bali-bombing-survivors?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:37:01 +0000 Convicted Bali bomber Ali Imron is pressing Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto for a pardon, citing his years of cooperation with counterterrorism efforts and the recent release of Australian drug offenders who had been given life sentences as reasons for leniency. However, analysts say his chances remain slim, with any such move likely to provoke outrage from Australia, where memories of the 2002 attack still run deep, and an Indonesian government wary of backlash over freeing a convicted... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3296960/bali-bombers-pardon-plea-after-bali-nine-releases-will-prabowo-follow-suit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3296960/bali-bombers-pardon-plea-after-bali-nine-releases-will-prabowo-follow-suit?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Feb 2025 06:00:17 +0000 A senior Indonesian official has sparked speculation about the potential release of Indonesian national Encep Nurjaman from Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp – some 18 years after he was sent to the facility in Cuba. Experts warn any move to repatriate Encep – also known as Hambali – has the potential to embolden jihadist networks in Indonesia, even as his release is eagerly awaited by his family in the country. Indonesia’s coordinating minister for law, human rights, immigration and correctional... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3296196/will-bali-bombing-suspect-hambali-be-set-free-after-18-years-prison?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3296196/will-bali-bombing-suspect-hambali-be-set-free-after-18-years-prison?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Jan 2025 11:15:18 +0000 Two Malaysians held at Guantanamo Bay prison for nearly two decades have been sent home to serve the remainder of their sentences, the US Department of Defence said on Wednesday, after they were held at the infamous US detention site in Cuba for their involvement in al-Qaeda-linked attacks, including the 2002 Bali bombings. In a statement, the Pentagon announced the repatriation of Malaysian detainees Mohammed Farik Amin, 48, and Mohammed Nazir Lep, 47, after both pleaded guilty to offences... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3291396/two-malaysians-jailed-guantanamo-bay-over-terror-attacks-indonesia-return-home?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3291396/two-malaysians-jailed-guantanamo-bay-over-terror-attacks-indonesia-return-home?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Dec 2024 10:32:13 +0000 Senior members of Jemaah Islamiah (JI), the Southeast Asian militant network blamed for the deadly Bali bombings, have announced they are disbanding the group, according to a report by a Jakarta-based think tank on Thursday. The report from the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC), confirmed the authenticity of a June 30 video statement by sixteen JI leaders announcing they were dissolving the extremist network. In the statement, captured on video and shared online, the leaders... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3269156/jemaah-islamiah-militant-group-behind-2002-bali-bombings-be-disbanded?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3269156/jemaah-islamiah-militant-group-behind-2002-bali-bombings-be-disbanded?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jul 2024 07:55:27 +0000 Families and friends of those who died in a deadly bomb attack in Bali in Indonesia that killed 202 people and injured another 200 have expressed shock and anger after two Malaysians incarcerated at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba for their roles in the attack had their jail sentences cut from 23 years to five. The reduced jail time of six years handed to Mohammed Farik bin Amin and Mohammed Nazir bin Lep stemmed from a “secret plea deal” made during the summer by the convening authority for military... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3250292/bali-bombing-families-slam-secret-deal-sentences-malaysians-guantanamo-bay-cut-5-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3250292/bali-bombing-families-slam-secret-deal-sentences-malaysians-guantanamo-bay-cut-5-years?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Jan 2024 08:30:45 +0000 Bali bombing victims on Wednesday shared harrowing accounts of how their lives had changed, as they read their impact statements in Guantanamo Bay’s military court ahead of the sentencing of two Malaysians who have admitted to playing a role in the attacks. Mohammed Farik bin Amin, 48, and Mohammed Nazir bin Lep, 47, last week pleaded guilty to a range of charges, including murder and conspiracy, linked to the blasts in Bali’s Kuta nightlife district which killed 202 people, including 88... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3249666/bali-bombing-victims-urge-harsh-sentences-malaysian-men-savage-destruction-life?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3249666/bali-bombing-victims-urge-harsh-sentences-malaysian-men-savage-destruction-life?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Jan 2024 04:00:14 +0000 Indonesian Bali bomber Ali Imron says he is “tired”. Having been incarcerated for the past 21 years after receiving a life sentence for his role in the deadly 2002 Bali bombing, Imron is now desperate to be released, and his only hope of freedom is receiving a formal pardon from Indonesian President Joko Widodo. Imron has been in prison since 2003, after being found guilty of helping carry out a fatal bomb plot on the Indonesian island of Bali that killed 202 people and wounded a further 200.... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3248958/tired-indonesian-bali-bomber-seeks-pardon-continue-deradicalisation-work-chances-are-low?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3248958/tired-indonesian-bali-bomber-seeks-pardon-continue-deradicalisation-work-chances-are-low?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Jan 2024 00:30:10 +0000 Two Malaysian nationals incarcerated at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba have pleaded guilty to their roles in the 2002 Bali bombing in Indonesia, as part of a plea deal that is expected to see them returned to their home country. Mohammed Farik bin Amin and Mohammed Nazir bin Lep on Tuesday appeared at the military court in Guantanamo Bay and pleaded guilty to murder, conspiracy, accessory after the fact, intentionally causing serious bodily injury and destruction of property in... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3248775/malaysians-guantanamo-bay-set-give-evidence-against-hambali-after-pleading-guilty-role-bali-bombing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3248775/malaysians-guantanamo-bay-set-give-evidence-against-hambali-after-pleading-guilty-role-bali-bombing?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Jan 2024 09:40:14 +0000 Two Malaysian suspects linked to the 2002 Bali bombings, and incarcerated at Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp in Cuba, may finally be on their way home after a visit to the US-run facility by Malaysia’s Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail. In a now-deleted Facebook post on September 25, Saifuddin said that he had discussed the cases of Mohammed Farik bin Amin and Mohammed Nazir bin Lep with Tina Kaidanow, the US Special Representative for Guantanamo Affairs, while he was in New York on a recent... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3237611/2-malaysian-suspects-behind-2002-bali-bombings-may-return-home-guantanamo-bay-subject-plea-deals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3237611/2-malaysian-suspects-behind-2002-bali-bombings-may-return-home-guantanamo-bay-subject-plea-deals?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Oct 2023 09:00:12 +0000 A Malaysian man accused of being involved in the deadly Bali bombings in Indonesia in 2002, and held at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba for the past 20 years, has severed his case from his co-accused, potentially signalling that a plea deal could soon be reached. According to US court documents filed last week, 48-year-old Mohammed Farik bin Amin will now no longer be tried in a military court alongside two other detainees, Mohammed Nazir bin Lep – who is also from Malaysia – and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3234682/bali-bombing-malaysian-accused-could-get-plea-deal-unclear-if-he-can-leave-guantanamo-bay?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3234682/bali-bombing-malaysian-accused-could-get-plea-deal-unclear-if-he-can-leave-guantanamo-bay?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Sep 2023 09:00:09 +0000 It was more than 20 years ago, towards the end of 2000, that Kan Kan last saw his older brother, the suspected terrorist Encep Nurjaman better known by his alias Hambali. “He came to visit me and our family in Cianjur. Then the Christmas Eve bombings happened. I didn’t think that he had been involved, but then I saw it in the news and everyone was saying that he had been the mastermind,” Kan Kan said. The blasts, which had been timed to coincide with Christmas Eve mass at churches across... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3227698/bali-blast-suspect-hambalis-family-pleads-his-release-guantanamo-bay-charge-him-or-let-him-go?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3227698/bali-blast-suspect-hambalis-family-pleads-his-release-guantanamo-bay-charge-him-or-let-him-go?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Jul 2023 08:00:10 +0000 As three Indonesian terrorism suspects attended a pre-trial hearing last week before a military commission at Guantanamo Bay over their involvement in the 2002 Bali bombing, questions have emerged about whether they could have been freed earlier had witness testimony been taken and preserved. Indonesian national Encep Nurjaman, also known as Hambali, was arrested in Thailand in 2003, along with Malaysian citizens Mohammed Nazir Bin Lep and Mohammed Farik Bin Amin. All three were members of the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3219289/bali-bombing-witness-testimony-could-have-helped-free-indonesias-hambali-lawyer-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3219289/bali-bombing-witness-testimony-could-have-helped-free-indonesias-hambali-lawyer-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 May 2023 01:30:11 +0000 On February 21, Ali Fauzi crossed the stage at Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang in East Java to receive his doctoral degree in Islamic education. It was a walk that marked the end of a long journey towards deradicalisation for the former Indonesian terrorist, and a moment Fauzi himself never thought would happen. “It was more difficult than making bombs,” said Fauzi, who was jailed for three years on terrorism charges in 2004. “I had to make revisions to my thesis several times, and at one point,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3212697/reformed-indonesian-terrorist-goes-learning-bomb-making-earning-phd?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3212697/reformed-indonesian-terrorist-goes-learning-bomb-making-earning-phd?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Mar 2023 10:00:14 +0000 An Indonesian militant who was paroled last week after serving about half of his original 20-year prison sentence for making the explosives used in the 2002 Bali bombings has apologised to victims’ families. Hisyam bin Alizein, better known by his nom de guerre Umar Patek, was a leading member of the al-Qaeda-linked network Jemaah Islamiah, which was blamed for the blasts at two nightclubs in Kuta Beach that killed 202 people – mostly foreign tourists – including 88 Australians and 11 Hong Kong... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3203238/bali-bomb-maker-says-hes-sincerely-sorry-202-people-including-11-hongkongers-his-explosives-killed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3203238/bali-bomb-maker-says-hes-sincerely-sorry-202-people-including-11-hongkongers-his-explosives-killed?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Dec 2022 05:22:24 +0000 The release of convicted bomb maker Umar Patek was a “difficult day” for Australians who lost loved ones in the 2002 Bali attacks, deputy prime minister Richard Marles said on Thursday, even as Indonesia justified the move as one which adhered to the country’s judicial system and procedures. Umar, 55, was released from prison in the city of Surabaya in East Java at 8am on Wednesday after he had served two-thirds of his current sentence. Umar, whose real name is Hisyam bin Alizein, was sentenced... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3202547/australians-horrified-bali-bomb-maker-freed-jail-indonesia-claims-move-justified?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3202547/australians-horrified-bali-bomb-maker-freed-jail-indonesia-claims-move-justified?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Dec 2022 10:00:18 +0000 A bomb maker in the 2002 Bali attacks that killed 202 people was released from an Indonesian prison on parole on Wednesday after serving half his 20-year sentence, despite the opposition of Australia’s prime minister, who described him as “abhorrent”. Umar Patek was a leading member of the al-Qaeda-linked network Jemaah Islamiah, which is blamed for the bombings at two nightclubs in Kuta Beach. Indonesian authorities have said Patek was successfully reformed in prison and they will use him to... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3202446/indonesia-releases-bali-bomb-maker-parole-after-serving-half-his-sentence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3202446/indonesia-releases-bali-bomb-maker-parole-after-serving-half-his-sentence?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Dec 2022 14:02:17 +0000 Hundreds of mourners and survivors commemorated on Wednesday the 20th anniversary of the bombings that killed more than 200 people on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, as Jakarta considers the early release of one of the attack’s masterminds. Grieving families, attack survivors and representatives from several embassies will attend a memorial in Bali’s popular tourist hub of Kuta, where al-Qaeda-linked militants detonated bombs at a bar and nightclub on October 12, 2002. “It’s OK that some... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3195640/grieving-families-survivors-mark-20th-anniversary-bali?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3195640/grieving-families-survivors-mark-20th-anniversary-bali?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Oct 2022 04:00:24 +0000 A radical Indonesian Muslim cleric, thought to be behind the 2002 terrorist bombings that killed 202 people on the resort island of Bali, said in a recent interview that he still believes Indonesia should implement Islamic law, vowing to work to make it happen. Abu Bakar Bashir, 84, who was freed last year after serving time in a separate case for funding a militant training camp, spoke with Kyodo News last month near Solo on the main island of Java ahead of the bombings’ 20th anniversary on... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3195514/radical-cleric-abu-bakar-bashir-backs-bali-bombers-vows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3195514/radical-cleric-abu-bakar-bashir-backs-bali-bombers-vows?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Oct 2022 03:01:16 +0000 As the 20th anniversary of the devastating 2002 Bali bombings nears, grief and remorse has cast a pall over Indonesia’s ties with Australia which lost 88 citizens in the attack that killed 202 people. Eleven Hong Kong residents were also killed. The source of discord is Indonesian Umar Patek – jailed for 20 years for helping make the car bombs and suicide vests that ripped through two Bali nightclubs on October 12, 2002. He became eligible for parole in August after a series of remissions for... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3191280/bomb-maker-behind-bali-blasts-sorry-has-deradicalised-umar-patek?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3191280/bomb-maker-behind-bali-blasts-sorry-has-deradicalised-umar-patek?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Sep 2022 00:30:12 +0000 Indonesia is “wise” to consider Australia’s objection to the planned early release for a bomb maker involved in the deadly 2002 Bali attack, despite it being within its legal authority to let him out, say analysts. In 2012 Umar Patek, now 55, was sentenced to 20 years in prison by a Jakarta court for building a car bomb and suicide bomb used in the attack on nightclubs that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians and 38 Indonesians. Patek fled the resort island just before the suicide bomb... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3190188/bali-bomb-maker-umar-patek-eligible-parole-indonesia-wise-listen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3190188/bali-bomb-maker-umar-patek-eligible-parole-indonesia-wise-listen?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Aug 2022 11:16:47 +0000 Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday that it’s upsetting Indonesia has further reduced the prison sentence of the bomb maker in the Bali terror attack that killed 202 people – meaning the terrorist could be freed within days if he’s granted parole. Albanese said he’d been told by Indonesian authorities that Umar Patek’s sentence had been reduced by another five months, taking his total reductions to almost two years. That means Patek could be released on parole ahead of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3189451/australia-dismayed-over-bali-bomb-maker-umar-pateks-early?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3189451/australia-dismayed-over-bali-bomb-maker-umar-pateks-early?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Aug 2022 05:05:02 +0000 An Islamic militant who eluded capture for 18 years was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Wednesday after an Indonesian court found him guilty of hiding information about the 2002 Bali bombings from authorities and harbouring other suspects. Prosecutors previously demanded a life sentence for Aris Sumarsono, 58, whose real name is Arif Sunarso but is better known as Zulkarnaen, for his role in the October 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists including 88... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3163979/indonesian-militant-jailed-15-years-bali-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3163979/indonesian-militant-jailed-15-years-bali-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Jan 2022 12:18:17 +0000 Two decades after Singapore began cracking down on a pan-Southeast Asia terrorist group calling itself Jemaah Islamiah (JI), the network’s operations leader, Hambali, remains at Guantanamo Bay awaiting trial. The evidence against him shows that he took orders and money from the al-Qaeda mastermind behind 9/11 to stage terrorist attacks in the region, including the deadly Bali bombings in 2002, and was planning yet more attacks when captured in 2003. In the first of a two-part feature, Susan Sim,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3159109/hunting-hambali-bringing-southeast-asias-osama-bin-laden-justice?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3159109/hunting-hambali-bringing-southeast-asias-osama-bin-laden-justice?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Dec 2021 23:00:10 +0000 An Indonesian court sentenced an Islamic militant who eluded capture for 16 years to life in prison on Wednesday after finding him guilty of making bombs used in a 2005 market attack that killed 22 people. Upik Lawanga, known as “professor”, is a key member of the Jemaah Islamiyah militant network, which the US has designated a terrorist group. It is widely blamed for attacks including the 2002 bombings on the Indonesian resort island of Bali that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists, as... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3158947/indonesian-islamic-militant-given-life-sentence-2005?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3158947/indonesian-islamic-militant-given-life-sentence-2005?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Dec 2021 11:54:13 +0000 Three men held at the Guantanamo Bay detention centre have been formally charged in connection with the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings and other plots in Southeast Asia after 18 years in US custody, with defence lawyers insisting afterwards that the long-delayed arraignment was so flawed it may have to be repeated. The men appeared on Tuesday in a secure courthouse encircled by razor wire on the US base in Cuba amid defence complaints about courtroom interpreters that caused what was supposed to... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3147126/bali-bombing-suspects-formally-charged-after-flawed-two?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3147126/bali-bombing-suspects-formally-charged-after-flawed-two?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Sep 2021 04:46:06 +0000 Three prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay detention centre had their first day in court on Monday after being held by the US for 18 years in connection with the deadly 2002 Bali nightclub bombings and other plots in Southeast Asia. Indonesian prisoner Encep Nurjaman, known as Hambali, and two Malaysians started their arraignment at a hearing at the US base in Cuba that repeatedly stalled because of issues involving courtroom interpreters. They face charges that include murder, conspiracy and... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3146955/bali-bomb-case-starts-guantanamo-bay-18-years-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3146955/bali-bomb-case-starts-guantanamo-bay-18-years-after?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Aug 2021 18:22:16 +0000 Two Malaysians and an Indonesian linked to deadly bombings in Bali nearly two decades ago are expected to get their first day in court on Monday at the United States Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Indonesian Encep Nurjaman, also known as Riduan Isamuddin and better known by his nom de guerre Hambali, and Malaysians Mohammed Nazir bin Lep, 45, and Mohammed Farik bin Amin, 46, were to be arraigned on Monday before a military commission on charges that include murder, conspiracy and... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3146867/bali-bombing-suspects-indonesia-malaysia-go-trial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3146867/bali-bombing-suspects-indonesia-malaysia-go-trial?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Aug 2021 06:53:19 +0000 Nearly two decades after allegedly masterminding the 2002 bombing of a Bali nightclub that killed 202 people, the terror suspect known as the “Osama bin Laden of Southeast Asia” remains a thorn in the side of both the United States and Indonesia. Riduan Isamuddin, better known by his nom de guerre Hambali, has been held at Guantanamo Bay since 2006 after his capture in Ayutthaya during a joint US-Thai operation. On August 30 he expects to finally get his day in court, when he and two of his... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3139673/bali-bombers-day-court-brings-new-headache-us-it-tries-put?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3139673/bali-bombers-day-court-brings-new-headache-us-it-tries-put?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Jul 2021 15:17:32 +0000 US military prosecutors have filed formal charges against an Indonesian Islamic extremist and two others in the 2002 Bali bombings and 2003 Jakarta attack, the Pentagon said on Thursday. The charges were filed nearly 18 years after the three were captured in Thailand and after each has spent more than 14 years in the US military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The first charged was Indonesian militant Riduan Isamuddin, better known by his nom de guerre Hambali, the leader of the Indonesian... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3118752/us-charges-indonesian-extremist-hambali-2002-bali-bombings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3118752/us-charges-indonesian-extremist-hambali-2002-bali-bombings?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Jan 2021 00:00:52 +0000 A convicted firebrand cleric who inspired the Bali bombers and other violent extremists walked free from an Indonesian prison on Friday after completing his sentence for funding the training of Islamic militants. Police said they would continue to monitor the activities of Abu Bakar Bashir, who is now 82 and ailing, and his son said Bashir for now would be avoiding activities outside his family due to the coronavirus pandemic. Bashir was imprisoned in 2011 for his links to a militant training... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3116886/indonesian-cleric-abu-bakar-bashir-who-bali-bombings-freed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3116886/indonesian-cleric-abu-bakar-bashir-who-bali-bombings-freed?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Jan 2021 02:54:18 +0000 A radical Indonesian cleric linked to the deadly Bali bombings will be released from prison this week, authorities said on Monday, after an earlier bid to free him early was axed following a public uproar. Abu Bakar Bashir, 82, once synonymous with militant Islam in the world’s biggest Muslim majority nation, will be freed on Friday after completing a 15-year prison term for helping fund paramilitary training in conservative Aceh province. He was sentenced in 2011, but the firebrand preacher’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3116415/indonesian-cleric-abu-bakar-bashir-linked-bali-bombings-be?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3116415/indonesian-cleric-abu-bakar-bashir-linked-bali-bombings-be?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Jan 2021 15:45:44 +0000 Indonesian police have arrested a man believed to be the military leader of the al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiah network who has eluded capture since 2003, authorities said on Saturday. Aris Sumarsono, known as Zulkarnaen, was arrested late Thursday by counterterrorism police without resistance in a raid at a house in East Lampung district on Sumatra island, said National Police spokesperson Ahmad Ramadhan. Zulkarnaen is suspected of being involved in the making of bombs used in a series of... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3113734/jemaah-islamiah-military-leader-aris-sumarsono-arrested?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3113734/jemaah-islamiah-military-leader-aris-sumarsono-arrested?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Dec 2020 15:15:58 +0000 The Indonesian police’s arrest of the leader of Jemaah Islamiah (JI), the Southeast Asian offshoot of the international terrorism network al-Qaeda, has revealed how the group is actively recruiting members and cultivating palm oil plantations to fund its bid to establish a caliphate in the country. Para Wijayanto, 54, who has been at large since 2003, was arrested on Saturday at a hotel in Bekasi, West Java, together with his wife and one trusted aide. On Sunday, two other JI members were... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3016833/indonesias-arrest-ji-leader-para-wijayanto-exposes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3016833/indonesias-arrest-ji-leader-para-wijayanto-exposes?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jul 2019 14:00:14 +0000 This week, construction workers will begin tearing down what remains of the Sari Club building – one of the two sites targeted by a suicide bomber in the 2002 Bali blasts – to make way for a five-storey restaurant, in a project Australia has called “deeply distressing”. The attack by the Jemaah Islamiah terror group, a regional arm of al-Qaeda, killed 202 people from more than 20 countries, with Australians making up many of the victims. Canberra has for years been trying to establish a peace... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3008035/australia-angered-plans-new-restaurant-2002-bali-bombing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3008035/australia-angered-plans-new-restaurant-2002-bali-bombing?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Apr 2019 15:04:23 +0000 Arifuddin Lako never had formal training in filmmaking, but in February he released a 40-minute film in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. Titled Jalan Pulang (The Way Home), it tells the story of an Islamist militant combatant and former prisoner’s attempts to repent for his past mistakes. The story draws on Arifuddin’s personal experiences. Also known as Iin Brur, Arifuddin is a former militant. Now 40, he grew up in Poso, in Indonesia’s Central Sulawesi province. In 1998, just after he... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2152756/islamist-militant-prisoners-freed-indonesia-turn-new-leaf-schemes-change?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2152756/islamist-militant-prisoners-freed-indonesia-turn-new-leaf-schemes-change?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Jun 2018 00:46:24 +0000 The Indonesian government is considering house arrest or other forms of clemency for the ailing radical cleric who was the ideological leader of the Bali bombers and is now in prison for helping to fund an extremist training camp. Wiranto, the government’s top security minister, said on Friday that a meeting of security ministers and police will make a recommendation on Abu Bakar Bashir’s treatment to President Joko Widodo. “Clemency, pardon, house arrest or just hospital treatment. It will be... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2135541/indonesia-considers-house-arrest-muslim-cleric-who-bali?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2135541/indonesia-considers-house-arrest-muslim-cleric-who-bali?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Mar 2018 05:15:50 +0000 The Indonesian government is bringing together dozens of convicted Islamic militants and survivors of attacks in what it hopes will be an important step in combating radicalism and fostering reconciliation. About 120 reformed militants will apologise to dozens of victims including survivors of the 2002 Bali bombings and the 2004 bombing of the Australian embassy in Jakarta, according to Irfan Idris, director of de-radicalisation at Indonesia’s counterterrorism agency. The three days of meetings... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2134773/indonesian-militants-apologise-victims-their-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2134773/indonesian-militants-apologise-victims-their-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Feb 2018 10:55:53 +0000 A US prosecutor has issued charges against the alleged leader of an al-Qaeda affiliate in Southeast Asia, blaming him for the 2002 Bali nightclub bombing and adding two Malaysian captives to the proposed case as alleged co-conspirators. A copy of the non-capital charge sheet obtained by The Miami Herald, accuses Indonesian Riduan bin Isomuddin, known as Hambali, of sending fighters from his Islamic extremist group Jemaah Islamiyah to Afghanistan after the September 11, attacks to meet Osama bin... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2123721/guantanamo-prosecutor-charges-three-over-southeast-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2123721/guantanamo-prosecutor-charges-three-over-southeast-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Dec 2017 14:47:57 +0000 An Indonesian militant linked to Islamic State (IS) smiled and raised one finger toward heaven after a court on Wednesday sentenced him to 11 years in prison for leading a plot to attack a presidential guard-changing ceremony in Jakarta. At the same sentencing hearing, a co-conspirator, who received six years in prison, shook his fist in the air and shouted “God is Great.” Muhammad Nur Solihin, the ring leader, and Agus Supriyadi were arrested along with two other militants including Solihin’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2112064/sympathiser-who-devised-indonesian-attack-plot-sentenced-11?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2112064/sympathiser-who-devised-indonesian-attack-plot-sentenced-11?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Sep 2017 11:50:48 +0000 Until 15 years ago, the Indonesian island holiday paradise of Bali seemed an unlikely place for a terrorist attack. Then it happened, at the cost of 202 lives in a nightclub bombing. That should not be forgotten when wondering why Hong Kong’s elite counterterrorism officers regard 600 local locations as sensitive when the city’s official overall terrorism threat level remains “moderate”. Elite police keep watch for lone-wolf terrorists at Hong Kong airport That threat level basically means there... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2111093/hong-kong-police-respond-global-terror-threat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2111093/hong-kong-police-respond-global-terror-threat?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Sep 2017 19:27:55 +0000 For the Past 13 years, al-Qaeda’s most powerful leader in Southeast Asia, Indonesian Riduan Isamuddin, better known as Hambali, has been held in Guantanamo Bay prison, out of public sight but still very much in the minds of militants and security agencies across the region. Hambali, 52, has a fearsome reputation. The man, known as the Osama bin Laden of Southeast Asia, is thought to have masterminded the Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people in 2002, the Christmas Eve multi-city church... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/2040305/my-brother-osama-bin-laden-southeast-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/2040305/my-brother-osama-bin-laden-southeast-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Oct 2016 03:03:59 +0000 A US government review board has rejected the release of the alleged Southeastern Asian terrorist leader known as Hambali from the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The Periodic Review Board said in a short statement released Tuesday that Hambali continues to be a “significant threat to the security of the United States.” It came to the same conclusion in a separate decision on a prisoner from Somalia, Guleed Hassan Ahmed. Hambali, whose real name is Encep Nurjaman, appeared before the board in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2040165/alleged-bali-bombing-figure-hambali-will-not-be?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2040165/alleged-bali-bombing-figure-hambali-will-not-be?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Oct 2016 02:18:35 +0000 A jailed cleric regarded as the spiritual leader of militant Islam in Indonesia has lost an appeal against his conviction for funding an extremist training camp, an official said on Thursday. Abu Bakar Bashir was thought to be a key figure in regional terror network Jemaah Islamiah, blamed for the 2002 Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people, mostly foreign tourists, including 11 Hong Kong rugby players. The elderly, bespectacled preacher was sentenced to 15 years in jail in 2011 for... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/1999167/abu-bakar-bashir-loses-appeal-against-15-year-sentence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/1999167/abu-bakar-bashir-loses-appeal-against-15-year-sentence?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Aug 2016 08:10:16 +0000 A jailed Indonesian firebrand cleric on Tuesday challenged his conviction for funding a militant group in court, as a hundreds-strong crowd chanting “God is great” rallied in support of the Islamist preacher. Abu Bakar Bashir is regarded as the spiritual leader of militant Islam in Indonesia, and was thought to be a key figure in regional terror network Jemaah Islamiah, blamed for the Bali bombings. When two bombs were detonated at Kuta Beach, ripping apart Paddy’s bar and the Sari Club shortly... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/1900088/abu-bakar-bashir-spiritual-leader-jemaah-islamiah?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/1900088/abu-bakar-bashir-spiritual-leader-jemaah-islamiah?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Jan 2016 06:45:00 +0000 An elite police unit on the front line of Indonesia's lauded terrorism crackdown is raising concerns that it is instead fuelling the jihadist cause, as it faces allegations of torture and unlawful killings. Detachment 88 was established after the 2002 bombings on Bali that killed 202 people, including 11 Hong Kong residents. It gained strong public support after claiming the scalps of some of the region's most-wanted extremists. But last month a six-year-old video emerged in which officers from... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1202787/elite-indonesian-police-unit-under-fire-over-torture-unlawful-killings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1202787/elite-indonesian-police-unit-under-fire-over-torture-unlawful-killings?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Five Indonesian policemen have been arrested over the alleged torture of militants after a video posted on YouTube showed suspects being shot and abused. The blurry 14-minute video, also posted by several Islamic groups on their websites, depicts officers forcing a man to strip to his underwear before they shoot him, apparently in the chest. "We arrested five policemen today, and others are still being questioned," national police detective chief Sutarman said in a text message on Thursday,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1186568/indonesian-police-officers-held-over-beatings-video-posted-youtube?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1186568/indonesian-police-officers-held-over-beatings-video-posted-youtube?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Indonesian police said on Tuesday they would question dozens of anti-terror officers over the alleged torture of militants after a video posted on YouTube showed a suspect being shot and others abused. The blurry 14-minute video posted by several Islamic groups on their websites and YouTube depicts officers forcing a man to strip to his underwear before they shoot him, apparently in the chest. They continue to question him as police trample on three other shirtless terror suspects, who are face... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1179468/indonesia-probes-anti-terror-police-over-torture-video?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1179468/indonesia-probes-anti-terror-police-over-torture-video?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Mar 2013 06:52:48 +0000 Australia’s prime minister paid her respects on Saturday to the 202 people who perished a decade ago in the Bali nightclub bombings, visiting a commemorative stone monument on the resort island now covered in flowers, flags and victims’ photos. Friends and families of the dead - many from Australia, which lost 88 citizens in the blasts - have for the past week left tokens of their grief, some breaking down in tears, others looking for closure to an event that changed their lives. “This has been... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1060273/australian-pm-visits-bali-bombings-ground-zero?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1060273/australian-pm-visits-bali-bombings-ground-zero?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Oct 2012 06:24:51 +0000