Trial begins for GAM members accused of House blast
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Two suspected members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) attended their first hearings on Wednesday at the Central Jakarta District Court for their roles in a blast last July that damaged a building at the House of Representatives (DPR)/People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) in Senayan, Central Jakarta.
Adityawarman, alias Adit bin Warman, 23, and Fadli Hasan, alias Ifat bin Hasan, 44, have been charged under Law No. 15/2003 on terrorism for carrying out acts of terror that caused public fear and destruction of vital objects. They have also been charged with illegal possession of ammunition and explosives.
They could face the death sentence if convicted.
In its indictment, the prosecution accused Adityawarman of assembling the bomb used to blow up the DPR/MPR building, and accused Fadli of transporting the explosives from their rented house in East Bekasi to the government compound.
"The blast that ripped through the rolling door of the central air-conditioning control room (in the Nusantara IV building) severely damaged one of the buildings in the compound and raised security issues at government facilities," prosecutor Fentje Eloway said.
He said the July 14, 2003 blast and a possible attack on commuter trains in the capital were intended to show the government and the public the real strength of GAM.
The prosecution also said the accused were part of a small group of seven GAM members. Five other members of the group -- Ayah Banta, Muda Belia, Rijil, Maulana and Juhri -- are still at large.
Adityawarman and Fadli were arrested separately three weeks after the blast at a rented house in Perumnas III, East Bekasi, and police confiscated three bombs that were ready to be planted.
Police have linked the two with two earlier bombings in April -- one at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and one near the United Nations representative office in Jakarta.
The residual materials at the April blast sites, including metal cylinders used as the casings for the explosives, were similar to those found at the site of the DPR/MPR blast.
The bombing took place a few weeks before the Assembly held its Annual Session from Aug. 1 to Aug. 10.
Lawyer Ramsudin Manullang told the press after the court session that he was appointed the defense's legal counsel on Wednesday, and had received the indictment just before the session opened.
"I still have not received their case files," he said.
Ramsudin asked presiding judge I Putu Widnya to adjourn the trial for two weeks -- a common time since the case is submitted to the court to its first trial -- to give him time to study the case files, but Putu turned down the request.
The trial has been adjourned until Feb. 12, when the defense's plea will be heard.