Samudra's trial set for June 2

Samudra's trial set for June 2

DENPASAR, Bali: The man police believe masterminded last
year's Bali bomb blasts will go on trial on June 2, the second
key suspect to face trial over the attacks that killed 202
people.

Police have charged Imam Samudra, who is in his mid-thirties,
with plotting, organizing and carrying out terror crimes causing
mass casualties. He faces the death penalty if convicted.

"The trial of Imam Samudra will start on June 2, it will be
held at the Nari Graha building in Denpasar (Bali)," Judge I Made
Karna told Reuters.

Samudra was captured by police in the western Java province of
Banten on Nov. 21 and is also a suspect in several church
bombings across the country in 2000 on Christmas Eve.

Karna said those bombings were included in the indictment.

The trial of another suspect named Amrozi, dubbed the laughing
bomber by the media for his behavior during the pretrial
investigation, is due to resume on Monday after the court
dismissed defense calls to throw out the case.

Lawyers for Amrozi argued the indictment did not specify the
time and place of the alleged crime and prosecutors had not
described any event that qualified Amrozi as a planner.

Many officials have blamed the October bombings -- the worst
terror attack since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United
States -- on Jamaah Islamiyah, a militant Muslim group Indonesian
officials say has ties to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network.

Indonesian police have arrested more than 30 people over the
bombings. --Reuters