Bali Prime Suspect Sentenced To Death

He described the attack on two crowded nightspots as a "crime against humanity."

The bombings on the resort island last October 12 were the worst terror attack since September 11, 2001 in the United States.

Judge Karna said the notion of "jihad" (holy war or struggle) "is often misinterpreted by people with a narrow mindset. Jihad holds a high meaning in Islam. Islam is a religion that teaches love," he said.

"It is a religion that teaches peace, charity, love and forgiveness. The action of the defendant can be classified as cruel and inhuman," Karna said.

Defense lawyer Wirawan Adnan said they would file an appeal despite Amrozi’s wishes, "because we believe that capital punishment is an act of revenge."

Amrozi, who has said he wants to die a martyr, also gave a thumbs-up to spectators as police led him out. He has seven days to decide whether to appeal the sentence, which would be carried out by firing squad.

Amrozi, a village mechanic aged 41, was the first of 34 people to be detained following a huge multinational investigation. Other key suspects, including two of his brothers, will also face a verdict in coming weeks.

Indonesians, Australians Welcomed The Sentence

Some 88 Australians died in the blast along with 38 Indonesians. The attack wrecked the economy of the island of clear blue seas and white sand beaches.

Community security guards and police jumped for joy and raised their fists when the sentence was read. Police threw their batons in the air.

"Justice is done this afternoon. it’s good for a bad person," said Colin Marshall, a New Zealander whose friend was killed. "Many young Australians roasted like pigs because of him."

Endang Isnani and nine other Bali women left widowed by the bombing watched the trial on video.

"We were all delighted here. It’s what we had hoped for," she said.

Islamic leaders said they had no reason to object to the sentence.

"If the process has been fair and objective, we have to accept it," said Ahmad Syafii Maarif, chairman of Muhammadiyah, Indonesia’s second-largest Islamic organization.

Security was tight following the Jakarta blast. About 300 police with sidearm and 250 local guards with traditional daggers were posted around the court.

Amrozi had expressed only satisfaction at the death of Westerners in what he called "dens of vices."

"Bule" (white) tourists are a threat to Indonesia’s future and violence is the only language they understand, he had told his trial.

Prosecutors say Amrozi attended planning meetings for the attack and bought a ton of bomb-making chemicals and the van used to carry the largest bomb, which devastated the Kuta tourist belt.

The attack finally opened the government’s eyes in the world’s largest Muslim-populated nation to the deadly threat of “home-grown terrorism”.

Within a week of the blasts the government passed an emergency decree authorizing the death penalty for terrorism and arrested the alleged JI chief Abu Bakar Bashir.

Bashir, allegedly a source of inspiration for Amrozi and other Bali suspects, is on trial separately in Jakarta for treason and terrorism. He is not accused of a role in the Bali blasts.

UK Victim Relatives’ Protest

On the other hand, Relatives of British victims of the Bali bombings protested Thursday the death sentence handed to Amrozi, saying it will make him a martyr and inspire more “terror” attacks.

In a statement, the UK Bali Bombing Victims’ Group – representing 22 families of the 26 Britons killed in the October 2002 attacks – said it welcomed Amrozi’s conviction.

"However, we are devastated he has been given a death sentence," it said. "We don’t want him to become a martyr. It is difficult to see how this sentence will achieve anything other than this."

The group said it was clear that Amrozi was little more than a "foot soldier" in a bigger organization, and added that it would appeal through the British Embassy in Jakarta for the death sentence to be commuted.

"To paraphrase Gandhi, an eye for an eye will make the world blind," it said.

Jun Hurst, whose boyfriend Daniel Braden was in Bali with his Taipei-based rugby side when he was killed, said: "We really hoped that he (Amrozi) would be found guilty, but not get the death penalty."

"He will become a martyr and die a happy man, knowing that he has completed his mission," she said. "I think a lot of people will admire him, and his death will provoke more violence and more terror attacks."