Brother wipes smile off Amrozi

The Australian ^ | June 05 2003 | Martin Chulov

[knighthawk]

BROTHER was pitted against brother in the Bali bombing trials yesterday, and the man who has won infamy as the smiling terrorist did not like what he heard.

The seventh day of evidence in the trial of the plot's alleged co-planner Amrozi brought the surprise appearance of his younger sibling Ali Imron – a witness who was happy to detail the devastating attacks on two Kuta nightclubs, but just as keen to minimise his own involvement.

Ali Imron, a veteran of five years' combat against the Russians in Afghanistan and as close as police have come to a rollover witness, said his brother had been present at two key planning meetings when he was given his attack instructions by alleged mas termind Imam Samudra.

The meetings were held in the rented Central Java home of another co-accused, Hernianto, who also testified, claiming he was not included in the talks and turned up the television volume to drown out what was going on in the room next door.

But it was Ali Imron who stole the show, offering 90 minutes' of evidence that all but sank the Amrozi defence team's strategy to pitch their client as a mere henchman, not a planner. "The main purpose of the meeting was the jihad in Bali," Ali Imron said, in reference to Samudra's declared vow to attack targets of the US and its allies.

Samudra "instructed Amrozi" to buy the L300 vehicle that carried the Sari Club bomb, Ali Imron said.

Amrozi was also given the task of buying the tonne of chemicals used in the main bomb and was appointed caretaker of up to 50 million rupiah ($A9300), Ali Imron said, and he helped send boxes of chemicals from Surabaya to Bali in the weeks before the attack.

Amrozi's alleged involvement extended to changing the wheels on the L300 to make sure the replacements could carry the extra weight of the 900kg device. The seats were ripped out to create space for the plastic filing cabinets used to hold the explosives.

Amrozi was then asked for his thoughts on the evidence. He replied: "The technical process to create the bomb, I don't know about and nor do I know about Afghanistan. I went with him to Solo, but we did not discuss the bombing at all. The meeting was connected with seeking a permit from police to protest against a meeting of Jews and Christians."

Amrozi said his brother had been sleeping during most of the meetings.

Ali Imron said he believed a second suicide bomber could have ignited the Sari Club device. The bombers set up four options – a hand phone, a timer, a remote control and a self-ignition switch – and the man who helped drive the van to the front of the Sari Club, Isi, has not been seen again.

Asked whether he was involved in the plot, Ali Imron, the only one of the alleged key players to have expressed any remorse for the loss of 202 lives, including 88 Australians, answered: "A little bit."

[knighthawk]

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[dennisw]

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