First trial over Bali bombing gets under way

Angry Balinese called for vengeance today as the first suspect in the devastating October bombings on the Indonesian resort island…

Angry Balinese called for vengeance today as the first suspect in the devastating October bombings on the Indonesian resort island went on trial.

Prosecutors said the suspect, known as Amrozi, helped to stage the attack on Western holidaymakers on October 12th, 2002, in revenge for the oppression of Muslims worldwide.

The bombing of two crowded Bali nightspots killed 202 people from 21 countries, including 88 Australians and 38 Indonesians.

Amrozi, a village mechanic, may face a firing squad if convicted.

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Investigators have said the Jemaah Islamiyah network, which is thought to be linked to al-Qaeda, staged the blasts and a string of earlier explosions. It aims to establish a Southeast Asian Islamic state.

Amrozi (40) the first suspect to be arrested, was dubbed the "laughing bomber" for a lighthearted appearance before the media last November. But Amrozi appeared tense and fidgety in court today as prosecutors read out the 33-page indictment.

It described in chilling detail how Amrozi and 12 others, including two of his brothers, allegedly staged the bombings as a way of "declaring war" against the United States and its allies.

The blasts "resulted in terror on a wide scale" and destroyed 424 buildings including the two nightspots - Paddy's Bar and the Sari Club - in the Kuta district.

Police have said Amrozi's motive was to kill as many US citizens as possible. His only regret, they say, is that Australians and not Americans were the main victims.

Hundreds of police, some armed, guarded the courthouse, and barbed-wire barricades sealed off the street amid fears of an angry public backlash but there were no clashes.

AFP