Witness says Bali bomb part of jihad on US

The Islamic militant accused of planning last year’s Bali bombings targeted the tourist island as part of a “programme of jihad” against the United States for its invasion of Afghanistan, a key witness said today.

Ali Imron, himself a suspect in the October 12 bombings, testified that in a meeting to plan the attack, alleged mastermind Imam Samudra told a group of 10 bombers that jihad, or holy war, must be waged to “defend the people of Afghanistan from America”.