Marriott blast accomplices get seven years

The South Jakarta District Court sentenced on Thursday Suprapto, Mohammad Solihin and Heru Setyanto to seven years in prison each for storing and transporting the explosives used in the Aug. 5, 2003, Marriott hotel bombing, which killed 12 and injured 147 others.

The court found the defendants guilty of violating Articles 6 and 15 of Government Regulation in Lieu of Legislation No. 1/2002, as amended by Law No. 15/2003 on terrorism. The law carries a maximum penalty of death.

The sentence was more lenient than the prosecutor's demand of 10 years imprisonment.

"The defendants have been found guilty of storing and later transporting five sacks of black powder, which were then used in the manufacturing of the bombs," presiding judge Effendi said. "They have also been found guilty of having conspired and assisted in the perpetration of an act of terrorism."

Defense lawyers said they would appeal the verdicts.

Thursday's set of verdicts is the fifth to be handed down by the courts in connection with the Marriott bombing.

Last week, a court sentenced Malikul Zurkoni to three years for storing the explosives used in the Marriott blast.

On June 15, the court sentenced Slamet Widodo and Lutfi Fadilah to three years each for failing to notify the authorities of the planned attack.

In May, Muhammad Rais was sentenced to seven years for assisting the two main suspects in the bombing, Azahari bin Husin and Noordin M. Top, to obtain, store and transport the explosives used in the attack.

The first Marriott bombing defendant to be convicted was Sardona Siliwangi, who was sentenced in February to 10 years in prison by the Bengkulu District Court. He was found guilty of storing the explosives that were later transported to Jakarta for use in the bombing. -- JP