Terrorist who blew off his
\nown leg sentenced to death<\/p>\n
Yogita Tahilramani
\nThe Jakarta Post
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
A Malaysian terrorist who blew off his own leg and wounded
\nfive others in a botched bomb attack on a bus load of Christians
\nin Jakarta last year, has been sentenced to death by the Central
\nJakarta District Court.<\/p>\n
Presiding Judge Panusunan Harahap said that Taufik bin
\nAbdullah Halim, alias Dani, had entered Indonesia illegally to
\nthreaten Jakarta's stability by engaging in an act of terror to
\ncause public disorder and spark religious unrest.<\/p>\n
\"The defendant was a guest in our country. Being a guest, he
\nengaged in an act of terror that could have initiated religious
\nunrest,\" Panusunan said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
He said the defendant had been legally proven guilty of
\nviolating Paragraph 1, Article 1 of the Emergency Law No.
\n12\/1951, in possessing and using ammunition or explosives.<\/p>\n
Court spokesman Judge Andi Samsan Nganro said on Tuesday that
\nthe primary factor that judges took into consideration was the
\nfact that the defendant had intended to launch widespread
\nreligious unrest with the bombing.<\/p>\n
\"That was ... intolerable. Jakarta already has its share of
\ntragic bombings which have claimed so many lives. Bombings,
\nparticularly those executed with such malicious intent, should
\nnot be tolerated,\" Andi told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday evening.<\/p>\n
Dani's right leg was partially blown off when the bomb he was
\ncarrying exploded prematurely. His leg had to be amputated.<\/p>\n
Dani, through his lawyer Duni Rubayati, immediately appealed
\nthe sentence. Prosecutor Andi Walinga had asked for a 20-year
\njail term.<\/p>\n
Duni later said that Dani had provided \"a lot of information\"
\nabout other bombings in Jakarta and deserved a lighter sentence
\nthan the sentence passed.<\/p>\n
The lawyer also said that the court could not prove that Dani
\nhad masterminded the bombing, making the death sentence
\nunwarranted.<\/p>\n
Eddy Setiyono alias Abbas alias Usman, another defendant in
\nthe same case, is being tried separately and a verdict is due
\nnext week. Two other suspects are still on the run.<\/p>\n
On Aug. 1 last year, Dani brought a bomb wrapped in a plastic
\nbag, and stood near a column in the west lobby of the Atrium
\nPlaza, Central Jakarta, awaiting a signal from four friends
\nincluding Abbas. But, before the bomb was planted, it exploded
\nand injured six people at the scene, including Dani.<\/p>\n
The bomb was intended for a bus load of Christians holding a
\nreligious gathering at the Aston hotel adjacent to the plaza.<\/p>\n
Based on Dani's testimony, police tracked down the other
\nsuspects, including Abbas who was arrested on Sept. 12 last year
\nin Tasikmalaya, West Java.<\/p>\n
Following Abbas' arrest, police arrested 12 other suspects
\nundergoing military-style training in Pandeglang, West Java. All
\nof the suspects belonged to the Jihad squad of a Mujahidin group
\nbased in Malaysia, police said. The group, in turn, was believed
\nto be linked to regional terrorist organization Jamaah Islamiyah.<\/p>\n
Police said Abbas had admitted that he was involved in the
\nbombings of several churches in the capital around Christmas in
\n2000, which claimed 19 lives.<\/p>\n
Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines sealed a trilateral
\nsecurity pact on Tuesday in an attempt to bolster cooperation to
\ncombat terrorism and cross-border crime.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/terrorist-who-blew-off-his-1447899208",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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