Terrorist jailed for 10 years for hotel bombing

An Indonesian court today sentenced a Muslim militant to 10 years in jail for helping plan last year’s Marriott Hotel bombing in Jakarta, but acquitted him of involvement in the 2002 Bali attacks.

The court in Jakarta ruled that Jhoni Hendrawan, alias Idris, could not be prosecuted over the Bali case, in which 202 people died, because of a ruling last month by the country’s Constitutional Court.

“In the light of the Constitutional Court decision to declare invalid (the retroactive use of the anti-terror law) we reject the second charge,” said Judge Asnawi.

Asnawi, who goes by a single name, sentenced Hendrawan to 10 years imprisonment for helping plan the August 2003 attack on the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Jakarta, which killed 12 people.

Hendrawan said he would decide later whether to appeal.

In earlier court sessions, Hendrawan admitted taking part in both attacks, which he said were aimed at America and “its henchmen who oppress Islam”.

Hendrawan was charged under an anti-terror law rushed through parliament after the Bali attacks.

Last month, the Constitutional Court ruled that the law could not could not be used for crimes committed before its enactment. Lawyers for the 32 militants already sentenced in the Bali attacks have said they would appeal the verdicts based on that ruling.

But Indonesia’s justice minister insists that the decision does not affect convictions already handed down – a stance many legal experts have questioned.

The Marriott blast occurred after the anti-terror law was passed.

At least 10 people have already been convicted in the Marriott attack and sentenced from three to 10 years in jail.

Australia suffered the greatest number of casualties in the Bali bombings, with 88 Australian nationals losing their lives. Twenty-six British people died, along with 38 Indonesians, nine Swedes, seven Americans, six Germans and four Dutch nationals.

In all, citizens from 21 countries were killed in the blasts.