ULAMA GETS DEATH OVER 2016 ATTACK

Aman Abdurrahman guilty of ordering assault that killed 4

ULAMA Aman Abdurrahman was sentenced to death yesterday for masterminding a 2016 Islamic State terror attack that saw a suicide bomber blow himself up at a Starbucks cafe.

Armed police guarded the hearing at a court here, which earlier found Aman guilty of ordering the attack that killed four in the capital.

It was the first attack claimed by IS in Southeast Asia.

“(The defendant) has been proven to have committed a criminal act of terrorism,” said judge Akhmad Jaini, who also cited Aman’s involvement in other plots for the ruling.

Aman, who sat on a defendant’s chair in the middle of the courtroom, appeared bored and showed little reaction as machine gun-toting guards stood nearby.

He gestured to his legal team and briefly kissed the floor after the decision, but said nothing audible.

His lawyer, Asludin Hatjani, described the ruling as “unfair”, citing a lack of evidence connecting Aman to the attack.

The assault here two years ago saw security forces battle guntoting militants near the cafe where a suicide bomber detonated his explosives.

Considered the de facto head of IS supporters in Indonesia, Aman, believed to be 46, is also the spiritual leader of local extremist network Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD).

Authorities have said JAD was involved in the 2016 attack here and a recent wave of suicide bombings in Surabaya.

Two families, including girls aged 9 and 12, blew themselves up at churches and a police station last month, killing 13.

Despite being imprisoned since 2010, Aman has recruited militants to join IS, is thought to have been in communication with its leaders and is the main translator for IS propaganda in Indonesia, according to analysts and authorities.