Indonesia imprisons former JI member for bombing Bali | Crime Stories

Zulkarnaen, who had been on the run for nearly 20 years before being arrested, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the crimes that killed more than 200 people.

An Indonesian court has sentenced Zulkarnaen, a senior member of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) faction, to 15 years in prison for a 2002 bombing in Bali that killed 202 people.

Zulkarnaen, a former army officer in the al-Qaeda-linked JI, was charged not only with the bombing of Bali but also with several other terrorist groups controlled by the group.

“[He] is guilty of terrorism and has been sentenced to 15 years in prison, “a senior judge in the East Jakarta Regional Court said on Wednesday, convicting him of aiding terrorists, concealing information about the attack, and his association with the JI cell.

A 58-year-old man has been on the run for almost two decades after being identified as a suspect in the Bali terrorists. The judge, who has not been named for security reasons under the country’s anti-terrorism laws, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to life imprisonment.

Zulkarnaen’s lawyer, Asludin Hatjani, said the sentence was too long and he would discuss it with his client.

Police and prosecutors have accused Zulkarnaen of taking action in connection with the bombing of a bomb blast in Bali, as well as a bomb blast at the 2003 JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta that killed 12 people.

At the trial, Zulkarnaen claimed to be the leader of the JI army, but refused to take part in the night bombings.

Investigator Stanislaus Riyanta warned that Zulkarnaen should be kept under house arrest.

“He can spread his great ideas in prison,” he told Reuters.

Three of the bombers in Bali were sentenced to death in Indonesia, while a fourth, Ali Imron, was given a life sentence after apologizing and showing remorse.

Another suspect, Encep Nurjaman, known as Hambali, developed by the United States at Guantanamo Bay for 16 years.

He is one of the few detainees to have been indicted, and is facing a military coup.

Indonesia has set up a high-level police force called Densus 88 following the Bali violence.

Although JI has been very weak, some groups, such as Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), have become quite prominent. It was banned in 2018 after the suicide bombing.