INDONESIA: An Indonesian Muslim militant dubbed the smiling bomber was sentenced to death yesterday for his part in last year's nightclub bombing that killed 202 on the resort island of Bali, write Joanne Collins and Karima Anjani in Bali.
After the sentence was announced, a defiant Amrozi swivelled his chair to the courtroom to face victims as well as relatives of those killed, smiled broadly and made a thumbs-up sign with both hands.
Families of several British victims said they planned to appeal the death sentence to prevent Amrozi becoming a martyr to inspire extremists.
"Allahu Akbar (God is Greatest)," Amrozi shouted twice, punching his fist in the air after the judge read his sentence for plotting, organising and carrying out crimes of terror in relation to the October 12th nightclub blasts.
Australian victims hugged and kissed each other as the chief judge pronounced the verdict on Amrozi, a 40-year-old mechanic from central Java island. Many shouted with delight.
The verdict comes just two days after a car-bomb killed 10 people at a luxury hotel in the capital, Jakarta, and coincided with concern that a shadowy southeast Asian network linked to al-Qaeda might be plotting further strikes. "The panel of judges declare that the defendant Amrozi has been found guilty of criminal acts in carrying out terrorist crimes . . . and the sentence on the defendant Amrozi is death," chief judge I Made Karna told the court.
The bombings were "actions beyond the bounds of humanity and outside any religious teachings", Mr Karna said.
Hundreds of revellers, most of them foreign tourists, were packed into nightclubs on a busy Saturday night when two blasts, the largest a massive car-bomb, ripped through the area.
Nearly half the dead were Australians enjoying holidays on an island famed for its Hindu festivals and golden beaches. Several dozen Indonesians also died.
"I hope that this verdict provides some sense of comfort to those who lost their loved ones in this tragedy and that they feel that in some way justice has been done," Australian Prime Minister Mr John Howard said in Sydney.
Australian Mr Jake Ryan (22), who lost half a foot in the bombing, fought back tears and struggled for words. "It's been a long day," he said.
Amrozi's lawyer said his client would appeal on the grounds that his only contribution was to supply a van and chemicals for the car-bomb that destroyed one of the two nightclubs.
"He's sorry for those who were not the targets," lawyer Mr Wirawan Adnan told reporters. "He doesn't have anything personal against the Australians for instance. The targets were the Americans and the Jews."
When Amrozi entered the court in the morning, dressed in a traditional loose white shirt, a cream and green skull cap and dark trousers, he punched his fist in the air and shouted, "Burn, burn the Jews".
During his trial Amrozi had admitted to participating in the Bali blasts, had told the court that "whites" deserved to die and said he welcomed the death sentence.
However, he said he did not belong to the Jemaah Islamiah Muslim network that police blame for the Bali bombings and are already linking to Tuesday's Jakarta blast at the JW Marriott Hotel.
While victims celebrated the verdict, Amrozi's family sat in subdued silence in his home village of Lamongan on Java island.
"It is so unfair. While Amrozi stayed in prison, bombs are still exploding in Jakarta," said his elder sister, Tasmiah.
"Everything has been orchestrated. I do not believe Amrozi is capable of making bombs that big."
Amrozi's giggling delight at the attacks, broadcast in a public police interrogation a month after the Bali explosions, shocked people across this Hindu island and around the world.
