Ninjas enter court in Dili

Ninjas enter court in Dili

DILI, East Timor: The district court opened the trial of 10
people charged with vandalizing residential property and waging
terror campaigns.

The accused, mostly gang members, swarmed the streets of Dili
earlier this year terrorizing pro-independence sympathizers.
Townspeople nicknamed them "ninja" because they wore black hoods
and masks during their raids.

But the local military authorities dismissed the widely
reported "ninja" scare as "rumor" spread to discredit the
government.

Prosecutors charged in separate sessions yesterday that the
defendants spread the ninja rumors, vandalized vehicles, pelted
stones at houses and disturbed security.

Court officials told journalists that the men are facing
criminal charges and that no political motives were involved.
(yac)