Six McDonald's bombing suspects go on trial in Makassar
Six McDonald's bombing suspects go on trial in Makassar
Andi Hajramurni, The Jakarta Post, Makassar, South Sulawesi
Six suspects in the Dec. 5, 2002 Makassar bombing went on trial
on Monday for their alleged involvement in the bombings that
killed three people and injured 15 others.
The six: Masnur bin Abdul Latif, Suriadi, Ilham Riadi, Anton
bin Labbase, Khaerul and Muhammad Tang alias Itang stood trial in
separate sessions at the Makassar Court.
Anton and Ilham, tried by a panel of judges presided over by
Andi Haedar, were charged with planning the bombings at the
McDonald's outlet and a car dealership NV Hadji Kalla owned by
Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla, along
with key suspect Agung Abdul Hamid, still at large, in the city
on Dec. 5, 2002.
According to government prosecutors, Anton knew of the meeting
held on Oct. 14, 2002, around two months before the bombings, but
failed to report on it to the local authorities.
Government prosecutors also laid similar charges against
Masnur who was tried in another room.
The three were indicted for violating Government Regulation in
Lieu of Law No.1/2002 and Law No. 15/2003 on antiterrorism for
which they could receive the death sentence if convicted.
Besides facing similar charges, Suriadi was also indicted for
violating the antiterrorism law for possessing arms and
explosives without a permit from the authorities.
Haerul and Tang, tried in two separate rooms, were also
indicted for breaching the antiterrorism law for giving a place
for key suspect Agung Abdul Hamid to hide in Palu, Central
Sulawesi, after the bombings.
Masnur, who was charged with assembling the explosives,
rejected the charges as groundless.
"The indictments are baseless. They were engineered and the
result of intimidation by interrogators," he said after the court
session.
He said the bombings were launched by Agung and his gang in
protest of the Malino peace agreement to end the conflict in
Poso. "The peace agreement was seen as having failed to control
Poso."
The peace agreement was signed by warring Muslim and Christian
groups on Dec. 21 in Malino, some 70 kilometers north of the city
to end the sectarian conflict that killed more than 2,000 people
since Dec. 1998.
The court sessions were adjourned until Monday to hear the
suspects' defense arguments that would be presented by their own
lawyers.
All trial sessions proceeded smoothly as only dozens of the
suspects' relatives were present while more than 230 police
personnel were deployed to enhance security at the court
compound.
The other seven suspects in the blasts were scheduled to go on
trial at the same court on Thursday.