 Idris is the last suspect to stand trial for the Bali attacks |
An Indonesian militant has been sentenced to 10 years in jail for helping to plan last year's attack on a Jakarta hotel, which killed 12 people. But Idris was cleared of taking part in the 2002 Bali bombings, despite confessing his involvement. The court decided he could not be prosecuted over Bali, due to a recent ruling preventing the retrospective use of the law used to charge him. The anti-terror law was rushed through parliament soon after the Bali blasts. The court said Idris, also known as Jhoni Hendrawan, was involved "in an evil plot" to attack the J W Marriott hotel in August 2003. He was found guilty of being one of a chain of people who handled the explosives used in the bombing. But Judge Asnawi said the charge relating to the Bali attack - which killed 202 people in October 2002 - would be rejected in the light of the Constitutional Court decision last month. Previous confession The Indonesian justice system is struggling to cope with that decision, which means that the anti-terrorism law rushed through the courts after the Bali attack cannot be applied retrospectively to Bali suspects themselves.  Idris has confessed to a role in the Bali bomb attacks |
Idris has already confessed to playing a part in both the Bali and Marriott hotel attacks - saying both were aimed at the US and "its henchmen who oppress Islam". He said he was responsible for logistics and transport during the Bali bombings, as well as using a mobile telephone to trigger the smallest of the three devices that went off that evening - a parcel bomb close to the US consulate that did little harm. He has expressed only qualified remorse for his role in the attacks. Speaking at the court on Tuesday, he said that if God thought what he did was wrong, he apologised to the victims and their families. But he added that if God thought what he did was right, he hoped it was accepted. According to the BBC's Tim Johnston in Jakarta, Indonesia has had notable success in rounding up militants involved in the Bali and Marriott bombings. But legal uncertainties persist. Lawyers for the 32 militants already sentenced for the Bali attacks have said they will appeal against the verdicts, based on the Constitutional Court's ruling. Idris may be the last of those in custody to be sentenced, but the court cases are likely to drag on for years.
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