10 Terrorists Sentenced for Attacks, Ties to Aceh Camp

10 Terrorists Sentenced for Attacks, Ties to Aceh Camp
Mohd Adhe Bhakti | December 30, 2010

A Jakarta court on Thursday handed down jail sentences of eight to 12 years to 10 Islamist extremists either convicted of attacks on foreigners or involvement in a paramilitary training camp in Aceh.

Tengku Muktar, a native Acehnese, received the heaviest sentence at 12 years for “throwing a grenade at a Unicef representative office and firing a gun at a German citizen and at a house rented by a US citizen,” according to the judges’ verdict read at the West Jakarta District Court.

“The defendant is proven to have used violence or violent threats to spread terror,” said presiding judge Supeno, adding that he could not find mitigating factors to grant leniency. However, the jail term was three years less than the prosecution had requested.

Tengku said he would appeal the sentence.

In a separate hearing at the court, the same panel sentenced eight other defendants — Laode Afif, Mukhtar Khairi, Masykur Rahmat, Muchsin Kamal, Surya Achda, Hasbuddin, Deni Sulaiman and Rahmadi Nowo Kuncoro — to eight years in prison each for taking part in the camp in Aceh, to which Tengku has also been linked.

Another defendant, Agus Kasdianto, received nine years for the same crime. Prosecutors had originally asked for a 12-year sentence for Agus due to his prior conviction for his role in the 2004 bombing in Cimanggis, Depok, .According to Supeno, the lighter sentence was handed down in light of the suspect’s cooperation and confession.

The 10 men are part of a group of 51 terrorism suspects linked to the Aceh group who are on trial.

Meanwhile, in an ongoing trial at the Depok District Court, prosecutors demanded a 15-year sentence for suspected militant Sofyan Tsauri, whom prosecutors allege supplied weapons to the Aceh camp.

Prosecutors say Sofyan supplied 24 guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition to the training camp, and that the weapons were stolen from a police arsenal.

In the indictment, Sofyan is also accused of harboring 10 of the Aceh group members at a boarding house in Depok for the purpose of having them practice their marksmanship at a shooting range belonging to the police’s elite Mobile Brigade (Brimob) unit.



Jakarta Globe