Posted on 09/18/2003 9:22:06 AM PDT by knighthawk
An Indonesian court has sentenced Bali bomber Ali Imron to life imprisonment for helping to organise and carry out the deadly bombings last year that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.
The sentence was tougher than the 20 years prosecutors had sought.
Ali Imron, who says he learnt the science of war, including bomb-making in Afghanistan in 1991, admitted building the Sari Club bomb and training the two suicide bombers who destroyed the Sari and Paddy's bars.
But Ali Imron's admisissons to police clearly set out the details of the Bali plot, and his expressions of remorse, at times made in tears, caused prosecutors to seek only a 20-year sentence.
The judges said that while Ali Imron had shown exceptional bravery in giving evidence against his brothers, they sentenced him to prison for the remainder of his life.
One of the judges said the defendant had committed "an extraordinary crime and a crime against humanity".
However, the judge said Ali Imron "had felt guilt and has honestly expressed regrets".
He was polite throughout the trial and had realised that the blast "was a mistake according to Islam".
Ali Imron had initially shown no remorse for his part in the attacks according to investigators, but has undergone a dramatic transformation since his arrest.
During his trial Ali Imron admitted his guilt and repeatedly apologised to witnesses. He is the only Bali bombing accused to publicly express remorse.
"I am guilty and I can only seek forgiveness from my family, my friends, the family of victims and the victims," Imron told the trial.
One of Ali Imron's lawyers, Suyanto, says the defence team is considering whether to appeal.
They have seven days to make their decision.
Of the four key bombers tried so far, only Ali Imron's brother, Mukhlas, still awaits a verdict.
He is expected to be given a death sentence on October 2.
The third brother, Amrozi, is already on death row, as is convicted plot mastermind Imam Samudra.
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