House attackers get 6, 4 years in prison

Urip Hudiono, Jakarta

The Central Jakarta District Court sentenced on Wednesday two Acehnese -- Aditiawarman alias Adi bin Warman, 23, and Fadli Hasan alias Ifat bin Hasan, 44 -- to six years and four years imprisonment respectively for their roles in bombing a building at the House of Representatives/People's Consultative Assembly compound in Senayan, Central Jakarta, last July.

The sentences were lenient compared to the state prosecutor's recommendation of a 10-year sentence for both defendants.

Presiding judge I Putu Widnya said when reading the verdict that the court had heard testimonies and conclusive evidence to prove Aditiawarman guilty of placing a bomb in the building.

The defendant had violated Article 6 of Law No. 15/2003 on terrorism and Article 55 of the Criminal Code, for perpetrating an act of terrorism which caused public fear and the destruction of vital objects and Article 1 of Law No. 12/1951 on the state of emergency for illegally possessing firearms and explosives.

The judges considered several mitigating circumstances including that the defendant had shown remorse, had cooperated during the trial and had planted the bomb under the instructions of Free Aceh Movement (GAM) member Muda Belia, who is still at large.

"The defendant had also set the bomb to explode on 7:15 a.m., instead of at 9 a.m. or 10 a.m. as ordered, to avoid any casualties," Putu said.

Upon hearing the verdict, the defendant consulted his lawyer Sahara Pangaribuan before deciding whether or not to lodge an appeal.

In a separate trial presided by Judge Mulyani, defendant Fadli was also found guilty by the court of similar crimes, by storing materials for the bomb and later transporting it from the defendants' rented house in East Bekasi to the House of Representatives compound.

Fadli, who was accompanied by his lawyer Abdul Salam, said after the trial that he would likely file an appeal.

Prosecutor Putu Sudarsana was dissatisfied with the verdict on Fadli as it was more lenient than his recommendation of 10 years and said he would consider lodging an appeal.

The bomb that exploded at the Nusantara IV building in the House complex was set in protest of the House's approval of the imposition of martial law in Aceh on May 19, 2003.

No casualties were reported in the blast, which only caused minor damage to the rolling door of the building's central air- conditioning control room.