Bali bomb accused 'moved' by testimony

AN Islamic militant accused of plotting the Bali nightclub bombings that killed 202 people said he was "moved" yesterday as witnesses described the carnage left at the scene.

Amrozi bin Nurhasyim is the first of 33 suspects to go on trial over the world's worst terrorist attack since September 11, 2001, when two bombs ripped through the Sari Club and Paddy's Bar last October 12.

One witness, Gatot Indro Suranto, was in a vehicle two cars behind the van that blew up outside Paddy's.

"I felt as if I was stung by very high voltage electricity," said Mr Suranto, whose chest, hand, legs and head were injured.

"It was so hot. I could not cry or even breathe. Then I passed out."

After hearing Mr Suranto's testimony, a smiling Amrozi said: "I really understand, and I am moved by what he experienced."

But he added that he did not know whether Suranto was telling the truth.

Since his November 5 arrest, Amrozi has perplexed the public by alternating between anti-Western diatribes and statements of sympathy for the victims.

TV footage showing him joking with Indonesia's national police chief outraged many in Australia, which lost 88 people in the attacks.

"The sound was like thunder," said Ni Putu Ayu Sila Prihanadewi, a 22-year-old cashier. "The electricity went out. I collapsed. Minutes later, I regained consciousness and saw the Sari Club had been destroyed."

Ms Prihanadewi was among 13 Sari employees injured in the blast. Her arms and thighs were burned, and 12 of her work-mates were killed.

If convicted, Amrozi could be executed under tough new anti-terror laws.

Police say he admitted taking part in the attacks to avenge Muslim sufferings at the hands of the United States and its allies.

Prosecutors say he bought bomb-making materials and a minivan used in the attacks, helping to co-ordinate the attack while on his home island of Java.

"We brought the witnesses to illustrate the physical devastation and to show how many people were hurt by the bombs," said prosecutor Urip

Trigunawan. Nine witnesses testified yesterday before the trial was adjourned until Thursday.

Prosecutors say Amrozi is a member of Jemaah Islamiyah, a regional al-Qaida-linked Islamic group blamed for other bombings in Indonesia and thwarted attacks on Western targets in Singapore.

The group's alleged leader, Abu Bakar Bashir, is on trial in Jakarta for treason.

Police have not linked him directly to the Bali attack but accused him of others.