“When it comes to a perpetrator of such a horrible crime, a designer and manufacturer of a bomb intended to kill and maim, we have a very tough stance,” says Australia’s leader, Anthony Albanese.
This month, one of the bombmakers in the Bali terror assault that killed 202 people could be released on parole due to a reduced sentence.
Umar Patek was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2012 after being found guilty of assisting in the mixing of the bombs used in the 2002 mass murders at two tourist clubs on the island.
He was a member of the al-Qaeda-affiliated militant organization Jemaah Islamiyah and was jailed for his role in the bombing of churches in Jakarta.
Patek’s sentence has been reduced by five months in honor of Indonesia’s independence day, putting him eligible for parole, according to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
It is one of the numerous reductions in his sentence, although it has not yet been determined whether parole will be allowed.
On October 12, 2002, 88 Australians, 38 Indonesians, and 23 Britons were among those killed when a suicide bomber detonated his device inside Paddy’s Irish bar.
As people rushed into the street seconds later, a van filled with explosives detonated at the neighboring Sari Club.
Hundreds of residents in the densely populated district of Kuta were severely burned in the attack, which overloaded local hospitals.
They (Indonesia) informed us of this decision, and we informed them of our opinion regarding this choice,” stated Prime Minister Albanese.
“They have a mechanism whereby, on certain anniversaries, sentences are frequently reduced or commuted.
“But when it comes to someone who has perpetrated such a horrific crime, a creator and manufacturer of a bomb intended to murder, maim, and maim again,” he continued, “we have a very strong opinion.”
Mr. Albanese stated that the potential release would cause additional grief to the families of the victims and vowed to continue lobbying the Indonesian government on the matter.
Patek was arrested after nine years on the run with a $1 million reward on his head. In 2011, he was finally apprehended in Abbottabad, the same Pakistani city where Osama bin Laden was slain.
Later, three individuals were executed for their participation in the attack.
