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Bali
Mastermind Sentenced To Death
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Samudra
escorted by police into the court room to hear the verdict
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DENPASAR,
Indonesia, September 10 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - The
mastermind of bombing attacks at two Bali nightclubs packed with Western
tourists was sentenced to death Wednesday, September 10, after an
Indonesian court found him guilty of a "crime against
humanity."
Abdul
Aziz, 33-year-old computer expert commonly known as Samudra, waved his
fist defiantly three times after judges slapped him the death sentence
over the attacks
which killed 202 people from 21 countries last October, reported Agence
France-Presse (AFP).
Judge
Ifa Sudewi maintained there were no mitigating factors, asserting the
defendant had committed "an extraordinary crime and a crime against
humanity."
Samudra
is the second Bali bomber to be sentenced to death - after Amrozi
received the same verdict on August 7.
"The
defendant is seen as playing a dominant role in the Bali bomb blasts and
therefore the judges declare that he is the intellectual actor behind
the Bali bomb explosions," Sudewi said.
She
called the bombings "a cruel, savage, inhuman and from the
religious aspect, a forbidden action."
Samudra
had sought to play down his role in the attack, denying he was the one
who picked the targets or gave orders to fellow bombers but admitting
involvement in and responsibility for the blasts.
Throughout
his trial he displayed a chilling indifference to his victims,
describing the death of Muslims as a "side effect."
‘Savage
America’
Samudra,
who wore a white shirt and black cap, has said previously he would
welcome death, claiming it would bring him closer to Allah.
"This
war is against America and the world understands America is conceited,
arrogant, savage and brutal," he said during the trial.
"The
war against America and its allies is a war against evil, against
tyranny and a war against terrorism and this is jihad in the path of
Allah."
Islamic
scholars had slammed the Bali bombings, assuring it had nothing to do
with Islam.
Prominent
moderate Muslim scholar Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi had branded the bombing
as a heinous crime
"which is no more than a total barbarism that is void of morality
and human feeling as well."
Islamic
societies and groups in Indonesia had also lashed out at the blasts, warning
of the negative consequences it may have on Indonesian Muslims.
Welcomed
Australian
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer welcomed the conviction of what he
called "one of the villains of the Bali bombing" and said his
country would not take issue with the death penalty.
One
survivor arrived in court with an Australian flag adorned with pictures
of his countrymen who died in the bombings.
Sonny,
35, whose wife was killed, said the bombers should get the heaviest
possible sentence "and especially for Samudra, he merits
death."
Ketut
Jontri, whose taxi driver husband died in the blast, told AFP she was
"very pleased" with the sentence.
"One
thing that I really want is that when he is executed, I can be allowed
to watch - because otherwise I will not believe that he has been
executed."
More
than 30 Bali suspects are under arrest and most are on trial. They
include a man called Mukhlas, who is said to have authorized Samudra to
go ahead with the attack, and Ali Imron, one of the bomb-makers.
Amrozi,
Mukhlas and Imron are brothers. Prosecutors are seeking death for
Mukhlas and 20 years for Imron.
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