RP envoy home bomb trial

RP envoy home bomb trial

JAKARTA: A defendant in the trial related to the bombing of
the Philippines ambassador's residence here three years ago
admitted on Monday that it was an act of revenge over the deaths
of fellow Muslims in the neighboring country.

Abdul Jabar said at the Central Jakarta District Court that it
was Fatur Rohman al-Ghozi who devised the plan and ordered him to
drive the minivan loaded with explosives and to park it outside
the house in Jl. Imam Bonjol, Menteng.

"I used to sell bottled honey and was also a water vendor ...
I was not involved in the planning, but I was told that the
original plan was to break through the fence to make sure the
ambassador died in the explosion," he said.

Two people were killed when the car-bomb exploded on Aug. 1,
2000, but then ambassador Leonides T. Caday -- who had just
arrived in a car, along with 20 other staff and passersby,
survived.

Jabar said that he, along with Usman and Sarjio alias Sawad,
were told to keep watch, around 200 meters from the crime scene.

"It was a straight order from Hambali who also provided the
money," he said.

Hambali, or Riduan Isamuddin, is the alleged top operative of
the al-Qaeda-linked terrorist network in Asia and currently under
U.S. custody, while al-Ghozi, is now wanted after escaping prison
while serving a 17-year jail term in the Philippines for
possession of explosives.-JP