   CILACAP, Indonesia (AP) - Indonesia executed three Islamic militants Saturday for helping plan and carry out the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, many of them foreign tourists.
Imam Samudra, 38, and brothers Amrozi Nurhasyim, 47, and Ali Ghufron, 48, were executed several miles from their high security prison on Nusakambangan island, said Qadar Faisal, one of their attorneys.
Their bodies were brought by helicopter to their home villages in east and west Java, where they were met by thousands of emotional supporters who welcomed them as martyrs.
Some hard-line Islamists lined the streets in the eastern village of Tenggulun on Sunday, chanting "God is great!" as a helicopter touched down in a light rain.
Dozens clashed briefly with police on a small road in the village, home to the two brothers, slightly injuring one officer.
The Oct. 12, 2002 twin nightclub attacks — allegedly funded by al-Qaida and carried out by members of the Southeast Asian militant group Jemaah Islamiyah — thrust the world's most populous Muslim nation onto the front lines in the war on terror.   The three never expressed remorse, saying the bombings were meant to punish the U.S. and its Western allies for alleged atrocities in Afghanistan and elsewhere. They even taunted relatives of victims — 88 of whom were Australian — at their trials five years ago.
In recent months, the men had publicly expressed hope their executions would trigger revenge attacks in Indonesia, a nation of 235 million people, where support for the bombers is limited to a small minority.
The capital has been on high alert, with extra police deployed at embassies, shopping malls and offices, but most analysts expect any reaction to be limited to demonstrations, bomb hoaxes and show of solidarity at the men's' funerals.
"But everyone should be extra vigilant, at least for the next week," said Ken Conboy, a Jakarta-based security expert, noting that even small, peaceful rallies "can quickly spin out of control."   The U.S. and Australian embassies were among those warning citizens to be careful.
Though the three Bali bombers said they were happy to die martyrs, their lawyers fought for years to stop their executions, arguing they were convicted retroactively on anti-terrorism laws.
They also opposed death by firing squad, saying their clients preferred beheadings, because they were more "humane."
Relatives of victims said Sunday it was a day of mixed emotions.
Australian Brian Deegan, whose son Josh died in the bombings, staunchly opposes capital punishment and worried about revenge attacks in the wake of the executions.
"There's no shortage around the world of persons that are prepared to commit suicide to achieve a result," he said.   But Maria Kotronakis, who lost two sisters and two cousins, told CNN she was relieved to finally see justice served.
"We're very happy ... we've waited a very long time for this," she said, adding that the bombers had "lost their rights to anything that's human."
The executions were delayed several times, usually without explanation, but Jasman Panjaitan, a spokesman for the Attorney General's office, confirmed Sunday that the men had been killed and their bodies handed over to family members.
The three men were among more than 30 people convicted in connection with the bombings.
Jemaah Islamiyah was blamed for at least three other suicide bombings in Indonesia. But the 2002 attack, however, was by far the bloodiest.
One of the attackers walked into Paddy's nightclub on a busy Saturday night, setting off a bomb attached to his vest. Minutes later, a larger car bomb exploded outside the nearby Sari Club.
The dead included 38 Indonesians, 28 Britons and eight Americans — most revelers fleeing the first blast.
Associated Press writers Niniek Karmini, Zakki Hakim, Ali Kotarumalos and Irwan Firdaus contributed to this report from Serang and Jakarta, and Tanalee Smith from Sydney. |