AUSTRALIA HAILS CHARGES FOR CHIEF BALI BOMBINGS SUSPECT

>> SYDNEY: Australia yesterday welcomed charges against a Guantanamo Bay prisoner accused of masterminding the 2002 Bali bombings in which 202 people were killed, including 88 Australians.

Indonesian-born militant Riduan Isamuddin, also known as Hambali, is accused of overseeing the 2002 Bali bombings and an attack on the JW Marriott hotel in Jakarta in 2003 that killed 12 people. According to rules of the US military commission, a military court will later decide whether a trial will be held.

“I hope that should this prosecution succeed, it will bring closure to those devastated by the loss of loved ones, family and friends,” Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told reporters. “It has been a scar on the hearts of all Australians since these attacks occurred in 2002.”

Hambali has been charged with murder and attempted murder in violation of the law of war, intentionally causing serious bodily injury, terrorism, attacking civilians, and related charges.

The Oct 12, 2002, Bali resort island attacks killed 202 people. A suicide bomber blew himself up inside a nightclub jammed with tourists at a popular beach, killing many instantly and forcing others to run outside. Another suicide bomber detonated a massive bomb loaded in a car parked on the street in front of two clubs.

In the second bombing in 2003, the JW Marriott was targeted because the building was conducive to the type of bomb that was being constructed. The perpetrators believed there would be a large American presence at the hotel and they “believed it would have the biggest overall impact”, the charging documents said. The Aug 5, 2003, car bomb in front of the hotel in Jakarta killed 12 people and wounded 150.

For Australia, which suffered the most casualties, the Bali bombs were the worst peacetime attack on its citizens, many of whom regard a holiday on sun-drenched Bali as a rite of passage. Seven Americans and 38 Indonesians citizens were also among the dead.

Hambali was captured in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2003 and has been held in Guantanamo Bay without charge since 2006. Last autumn, a US government review board rejected the release of Hambali, saying he continues to be a “significant threat to the security of the United States”. Hambali appeared before the board in August by video link, seeking his release after being held 10 years at the base without charge.

The Afghanistan-war veteran dubbed the “Osama bin Laden of Southeast Asia” was seen as the main link between Southeast Asian militant group Jemaah Islamiah and al-Qaeda.

Ms Bishop said Australia would provide whatever support it could, but did not support the death penalty. “Those responsible for the murder of 202 people, including 88 Australians, should be prosecuted, should receive the severest of punishment and should never be freed,” she said.