Bali Bomber gets death penalty

One of the chief suspects accused of carrying out last year's Bali bombing has been found guilty and sentenced to death.
Amrozi bin Nurhasyim was accused of conspiring, planning and carrying out an act of terrorism, which killed more than 200 people.

He smiled when the guilty verdict was read out and turned around to the courtroom and gave the thumbs-up sign when the judge handed down the death sentence.

Chief judge I Made Karna said: "Amrozi has been legally and convincingly proven guilty of terrorism. We hereby hand down the death sentence.

I am normally against capital punishment but for this case, nothing less is deserved - this is a positive step against terrorism

Hans, Germany


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The BBC's Rachel Harvey, who was in court, said the judge announced his verdict in a strong, clear voice.

But his final words were almost drowned out by cheers and applause from the relatives and survivors of the Bali bombings who have waited for this moment for months, our correspondent says.

Amrozi faces death by firing squad, but it could be some time before the sentence is carried out.

Amrozi's lawyer, Wirawan Adnan, said: "We are going to appeal first thing tomorrow morning".

He said Amrozi was sorry for the deaths of those people who were not targets.

"He doesn't have anything personal against the Australians, for instance. The targets were the Americans and the Jews."

DEATH PENALTY FOR BOMBER

Carried out by 14-man firing squad
Only one round is live
Sentence can be appealed
Appeals can take five years


Amrozi profile
In Pictures: Brought to trial
The Australian Prime Minister John Howard welcomed the guilty verdict and said his government would not appeal for Indonesia to commute the death sentence.

"Most of all I hope that this verdict provides some sense of comfort to those who lost their loved ones in this tragedy and that they feel in some way that justice has been done," Mr Howard said.

Police said Amrozi, one of three brothers arrested in connection with the Bali operation, had admitted buying the explosives and the minivan used in last October's blast.

But the 41-year-old mechanic has denied that the attack was the work of the regional militant Muslim group, Jemaah Islamiah (JI), which has been linked to Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.

Five judges heard from more than 40 witnesses during Amrozi's trial, including survivors of the attack.

The Australian press nicknamed him the "smiling bomber" after he appeared laughing before television crews following his arrest last year.

'Happy to die'

The other key suspects in the case are on trial separately.

During his trial, which began in May, Amrozi said the Bali bombings had "positive aspects" because they encouraged people to re-embrace religion and weakened the corrupting influence of foreign tourists.

Amrozi has said he is not worried at the prospect of a possible death sentence.

I hope that this verdict provides some sense of comfort to those who lost their loved ones in this tragedy

John Howard
Australian PM


Australia relieved at verdict
UK families welcome sentence
"I'll be happy to die a martyr," he said recently. "After me there will be a million more Amrozis."

The two bombs, which ripped through a busy nightclub area in the island's popular Kuta district on 12 October last year, killed mostly foreign tourists.

Australia suffered the greatest number of casualties, with 88 Australian nationals losing their lives.

Thirty-eight Indonesians, 23 Britons, nine Swedes, seven Americans, six Germans and four Dutch nationals were also killed.

In all, citizens from 21 countries died in the blasts.

Indonesian police suspect JI was behind the Bali bombs as well as Tuesday's attack on the Marriott Hotel.

A car bomb outside the hotel in Jakarta killed 14 people and injured 150 others.

They said documents found in the possession of JI members arrested last month indicated an attack in the area around the hotel was imminent and police patrols were stepped up.

We shall see: the dath penalty is rarely actually enforced in Indonesia (as opposed to indiscriminate murder by the military without the costly nuisance of a trial).
It may suit the dreadful Megawati to push for this one (helpful in Aceh) and certainly there's anger: exacerbated no doubt by the oddly co-incidental Jakarta Marriott bombing.

The whole death sentence bussines is wrong.. Shooting someboby lets say as they are captured at the spot i can understand.. But to go to trial and to sentence somebody to death (exept some sick serial killer.. kinda person that stabs, rapes and eats people..) is wrong and sick thing to do.. Because.. you dont have to be a sick person to build a bomb and detonate it agaist those who you consider to be your enemies.. such act (the bombing) aint murder, it is more like you would kill someone in combat.. but it is murder in cold blood if one sentences others to death.. REVENGE only makes more violence..

there is certainly the risk that it will create martyrs, uninen.

The problem is a lot of these terrosists want to become martyrs.

Execute them.. and they will become martyrs.. Another good reason to "only" lock them up (not for life but for 25 years.. as people change..) and not to give them death sentences..

I hope the "smiling bomber's" sentence is death by bomb, he should be blown to pieces for what he did.

Firing squad.

Still better than being stoned to death I suppose that must be an absolute nightmare and must change the stone throwing executioners for the worse too.

How much effect on the psychi do you think executioners/firing squad members suffer?