Prosecutors seek death for embassy bomb suspect

Prosecutors seek death for embassy bomb suspect

Niniek Karmini, Associated Press/Jakarta

Prosecutors on Thursday demanded the death sentence for an Islamic militant who allegedly helped plan the 2004 Australian Embassy bombing in Jakarta that killed 11 people.

Iwan Darmawan, also known as Rois, is accused of buying a van and fertilizers used in the attack, as well as a filing cabinet that the explosives materials were packed into. The 30-year-old clothes salesman also stands accused of hiding some of the key suspects.

Authorities say Rois took his orders from Azahari bin Husin, a Malaysian who allegedly leads the regional terror group Jamaah Islamiyah whom police believe was the mastermind of the attack. Azahari and another Malaysian wanted terrorist remain free somewhere in Indonesia.

Rois, who attended a militant training camp in the Philippines in the 1990s, acknowledged buying the materials but insisted he did not know they would be used for the bombing.

"We've demanded that the defendant Rois be sentenced to death," said Nendra, a state prosecutor, who goes by only one name.

"The fact is that Rois is guilty of helping plan the attack as well as hiding the key suspects," he said. "During the trial, he never expressed regret about what he had done. His actions caused the death of innocent people and threatened national stability."

The indictment said Rois had told police that Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had funded the attack with Australian currency.

It quoted Rois as saying that a package containing some A$10,000 Australian (US$7,500) in cash was delivered by a courier to Azahari before the attack.

Rois, wearing a skull cap and traditional Islamic shirt, appeared to be shocked and on the verge of tears as the sentence request was read. He later told reporters that he was innocent.

"The allegations against me are untrue and based on something I've never done," he said. "But this only a human trial. The real trial is with God."

Two of the six Australian Embassy bombing suspects have already been sentenced to between 3 1/2 years and 4 1/2 years on charges relating to the Sept. 9, 2004 blast.

A fourth suspect, Heri Sigu, is on trial for allegedly helping hide some of the key suspects. Prosecutors on Thursday demanded a seven-year jail term for Sigu, who has denied involvement in the bombing.

"The charges are not true," Sigu said. "All the evidence presented in my defense has been useless. The trial has been designed to find me guilty."

Police blamed the attack on Jamaah Islamiyah, which has also been linked to the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people and a 2003 blast at Jakarta's J.W. Marriott hotel that killed 12 people.

More than 20 people have been detained in connection with the embassy bombing but a massive manhunt is still under way for the Azahari and Noordin.