Al Qaeda linked militant gets death sentence for 2004 Jakarta bombing News
Al Qaeda linked militant gets death sentence for 2004 Jakarta bombing

[JURIST] Indonesian militant Rois, also known as Iwan Dharmawan, was sentenced to death Tuesday in Indonesia [JURIST news archive] for his role in the September 2004 suicide car bombing at the Australian embassy in Jakarta [JURIST report; BBC report] which killed 10 Indonesians. Although Rois proclaimed to be innocent, he told reporters that he was happy to die a martyr after receiving the death sentence, adding "[w]hen one Muslim dies, other Muslims will take revenge." Rois is thought to be the lead militant in the attack which presiding Judge Roki Panjaitan said was financed by Osama bin Laden [JURIST news archive], the first time the bombing has been linked to the Al Qaeda leader. Panjaitan said the attack was carried out to show disdain for Australia's support of American policies in the Muslim world. Eleven militants were charged in connection with the bombing [JURIST report] with nine tried for violations of Law No. 15 of 2003 [Jakarta Post report], an anti-terrorism statute enacted after the October 2002 bombing in Bali [Wikipedia backgrounder] which killed 88 Australians. Both attacks have been linked with Al Qaeda affiliate Jemaah Islamiyah [Wikipedia backgrounder]. Following the attack in Bali, there was widespread disappointment when Abu Bakar Bashir [BBC profile], spiritual leader of the group, received a reduced sentence for his role in the attack [JURIST report] earlier this year. Rois' death sentence marks the fourth that has been handed down since the new law was introduced. Reuters has more.