Trial starts for suspected Bali bomber

  • 12 years ago
Alleged Indonesian Islamist militant Umar Patek arrives at a Jakarta courthouse.

He's suspected of involvement in a 2002 bomb attack at a Bali night club that killed 202 people.

He's now facing six charges, including murder, bomb-making and illegal firearms possession.

Many analysts consider the 45-year-old to be one of a handful of Indonesians with knowledge of the connection between Islamic militancy in Southeast Asia and al Qaeda in South Asia.

Patek, who is believed to be a bomb maker for Jemaah Islamiah, was extradited from Pakistan in August 2011.

Since the 2002 Bali bombings, several key figures in the Jemaah Islamiah network - which was blamed for the attack - have been killed or captured.

Travis Brecher, Reuters

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