Execution of three Bali bombers delayed in Indonesia

Three Islamic militants convicted for the Bali bombings that killed 202 people will not be executed tomorrow as planned after saying they wanted to appeal against their sentences, Indonesia’s attorney general said.

Amrozi Nurhasyim, Ali Gufron and Imam Samudra were among more than 30 people convicted in the 2002 nightclub bombings on the resort island, which officials say were carried out by the al Qaida-linked Jemaah Islamiyah terror group.

They confessed to the crime, but last month authorised lawyers to file a final appeal, known as a judicial review, averting tomorrow’s planned execution by firing squad, said I Wayan Pasek Suarta, spokesman for the attorney general.

At the same time, analysts say the timing of the executions may be linked to those of three Christian militants on death row for their roles in sectarian violence on Sulawesi island six years ago that left 200 Muslims dead.

They say it would be politically difficult for the government to execute the Bali bombers before placing the Christians – who represent a minority in Indonesia – before a firing squad.