Embassy bomber gets death penalty<\/p>\n
Agencies, Jakarta<\/p>\n
A militant vowed revenge after he was sentenced to death on
\nTuesday for plotting last year's deadly bombing at the Australian
\nEmbassy in Jakarta, which the judges said was funded by Osama bin
\nLaden.<\/p>\n
Iwan Darmawan Mutho, alias Rois, was convicted of terrorism
\nand hiding the perpetrators of terrorism, chief judge Rocky
\nPanjaitan told the South Jakarta District Court.<\/p>\n
"The panel of judges declare the defendant legally and
\nconvincingly guilty of carrying out cumulative acts, from
\nparticipating in a terrorist crime to intentionally hiding the
\nsuspects of terrorist crimes," he said.<\/p>\n
Rois is the first Indonesian sentenced to death for terrorism
\nsince three other Indonesian militants were ordered to die for
\nthe 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, including 88
\nAustralians.<\/p>\n
He said after the trial he was innocent of the attack that
\nkilled 12 Indonesians, including a suicide bomber, but said he
\nstill welcomed the death sentence and would die a martyr.<\/p>\n
As he was led away by armed police and asked if he had any
\nmessage for Australia, Rois smiled and said: "All of you will
\nreceive heavier punishment than what you have done to me."
\nHis lawyers said they would appeal the judges' ruling.<\/p>\n
"It should be borne in mind that any act of injustice against
\nMuslims anywhere in the world will not go unavenged. Muslims will
\ncertainly avenge this," said Rois, wearing a traditional Muslim
\nskullcap.<\/p>\n
He said the verdict "comes from Satans and is evil" and
\nmaintained his innocence.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors accused Rois of working with the accused
\nmasterminds of the blast, Malaysians Azahari bin Husin and
\nNoordin M. Top, who are both fugitives and said by police to be
\nsenior members of the al-Qaeda-linked Jamaah Islamiyah network.<\/p>\n
Rois, 30, bought the vehicle and other materials used in the
\nbombing and recruited the person who drove the car to the
\nAustralian Embassy fence, prosecutors said.<\/p>\n
"The operational funds for the bombing came from Noordin M.
\nTop. The money was sent via courier by Osama bin Laden. The total
\ncost was US$10,000," judge Rocky said.<\/p>\n
While Rois denied playing a role in the attack, he admitted to
\nreceiving an undisclosed sum from a man called Abdul Rasyid
\nbefore the attack. Prosecutors said this was an alias of Noordin.<\/p>\n
Rocky said the prosecutors proved that Rois was guilty of the
\nmain charge of "planning to motivate other individuals to carry
\nout the crime of terrorism".<\/p>\n
The chief judge also said Rois was guilty of recruiting the
\nsuicide bomber, of buying the minivan used in the attack, of
\nconducting surveillance on the target and of preparing safe
\nhouses for Noordin and Azahari.<\/p>\n
It was the first time the court had linked the embassy bombing
\nto Osama bin Laden.<\/p>\n
Rocky said the attack was in response to Australia's support
\nfor American policies in the Muslim world.<\/p>\n
Rois, who received military training in the Philippines and in
\nIndonesia's restive island of Maluku between 1999 and 2001,
\nshowed no remorse for the attack, the judge said.<\/p>\n
The verdict was welcomed by Australia after outrage greeted
\nsentence reductions given under a remission program to two-thirds
\nof the 30 militants convicted over the Bali nightclub bombings.<\/p>\n
"The court has delivered the most severe sentence possible for
\nthe bomber's terrible crime. The conviction underlines
\nIndonesia's determination to prosecute to the full extent of the
\nlaw those involved directly or indirectly in terrorism," said
\nAustralian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who is visiting
\nEurope.<\/p>\n
In late August, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono called for
\ntighter security in the world's most populous Muslim nation,
\nsaying September and October appeared to be favored months for
\nattacks.<\/p>\n
However, there was no unusual security at the South Jakarta
\ncourt where Rois' verdict was being delivered.<\/p>\n
Three militants have already been jailed over the attack while
\nothers are undergoing separate trials.<\/p>\n
Judges were to rule on Wednesday on whether one of those
\naccused, Achmad Hasan, should also receive the death penalty.<\/p>",
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