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Just following orders, Bali bomber pleads

Bali bombing suspect Ali Imron, center, waves to journalists as he is escorted by police officers after delivering his defense plea at his trial in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, yesterday. The remorseful Bali bombing suspect said he was only following orders in last October's blast and told his students not to follow in his footsteps after prosecutors urged judges to sentence him to 20 years in jail rather than death. PHOTO: AP

A Bali bomb suspect pleaded yesterday for judges to sentence him to 20 years in prison rather than death, saying he was only following orders in last October's terror attack on the island.

Ali Imron, a 33-year old Islamic boarding school teacher accused of involvement in the attack that killed 202 people, also promised judges that he would tell his students not to follow in his footsteps.

Meanwhile, two more defendants indirectly implicated in the attack were convicted yesterday.

Andri Oktavia was sentenced to 16 years for helping rob a gold store, the proceeds of which were then used by the bombers to finance the attack. Makmuri, who goes by one name, received a seven-year term for hiding one of the fugitives after the bombing.

A Bali court has already sentenced two of the bombers to death, including Imam Samudra, who commanded the cell that carried out the blasts. Three other accomplices not directly involved in the attack received sentences ranging from 15 years to 16 years in prison.

However, prosecutors have asked for lighter punishment for Imron and another suspect, Hutomo Pamungkas, who have publicly apologized during their trials.

Nevertheless, the judges could throw out the prosecution's demand for a 20-year prison term and order both Imron and Pamungkas to be executed by firing squad. A verdict in Imron's case is expected by the end of October.

``As a human being, I would like ... the lightest sentence possible,'' Imron said.

He explained that he was only following orders received from Samudra. He said he now understood that the attack was ``not permitted under Islam'' as it did not follow the rules for jihad, or holy war.

``The target was not clearly defined ... as an enemy of Islam. There were no prior warnings ... and women were murdered,'' he said.

Jan Laczynski, an Australian monitoring the trials, shouted at Imron: ``Are you sorry? Are you really sorry Imron?''

The defendant did not react as he was led from the courtroom by two guards.

Eighty-eight of the victims were Australian tourists.

Verdicts against two dozen more suspects are expected in coming months in an unprecedented series of trials of Islamic militants which have exposed the labyrinth of terror networks in Southeast Asia.

The trials also have shed light on Jemaah Islamiyah, the al-Qaeda-linked militant network blamed for the Oct. 12 Bali blasts and Aug. 5 attack on Jakarta's JW Marriott hotel.

Indonesian police have detained more than 30 people, including several key suspects, in connection with the Bali bombings that left at least 202 people dead, mostly foreign visitors, and hundreds of other injured.

On Aug. 7, the Bali district court handed down a death sentence to Amrozi, known as the "smiling assassin" and one of the key suspects in the blasts, for playing a major role in the bombings.
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