Bali bombing accomplice gets six years in jail

Bali bombing accomplice gets six years in jail

Agence France-Presse, Jakarta

The Denpasar District Court on Thursday jailed a man for six years for harboring Bali bomb mastermind Abdul Aziz alias Imam Samudra while he was on the run after the October 2002 blasts, local radio reported.

The panel of judges found Heri Hafiddin guilty of terrorism for hiding Samudra at Serang in Banten, after the nightclub bombings which killed 202 people, mostly foreigners.

They ruled that Hafidin knew that Samudra was the prime suspect in the bombings yet still tried to hide him.

Prosecutors had demanded nine years but judges took into consideration that Hafidin is still young and was respectful during the trial, the report said.

Samudra was arrested in November 2002 and has since been sentenced to death.

The al-Qaeda-linked Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) regional terror network has been accused of carrying out the attack to avenge perceived oppression against Muslims worldwide.

Hafiddin, 33, had told judges he had not been following the news due to work pressures and family problems and did not know at the time that Samudra was a wanted man.

He was also accused of helping Samudra recruit three men who robbed a jewelry store to raise funds for the Bali attacks.

Bali courts have now sentenced 32 people for the attack since the first trial began in May last year. Three of them -- Samudra, Mukhlas and Amrozi -- have been sentenced to death.

The last verdict in the current series of trials is expected within a fortnight.

Prosecutors want Achmad Roichan, alias Sa'ad, to serve 20 years for helping to hide Mukhlas while he was on the run.