Indonesia sentences bomb attacker eight years in jail

Ali Makhmudin at the Jakarta Court. (Source: AFP)

Hanoi (VNA) – A court in Indonesia sentenced a person who supports the so-called Islamic State (IS) organisation eight years in jail for playing a role in a suicide bomb attack in Jakarta earlier this year.

Ali Makhmudin, 41, was the latest extremist sentenced for his involvement in the attack. He was accused of violating Indonesia’s anti-terror law. Ali Makhmudin, who once pledged his allegiance to the IS in 2014, prepared bombs used in the Jakarta attack in January, which killed eight people.

The attack was the first IS claimed responsibility in Southeast Asia and is also the first big one in Indonesia in the past seven years.

According to the Jakarta Court’s ruling, Ali Makhmudin was a terrorist and was sentenced eight years in jail. Although he was not directly involved in the attack, his acts caused worries among the community and violated the government’s anti-terror programme.

Makhmudin created shells of tube-shaped bombs used in the attack and gave them to another insurgent who transported them to Jakarta and handed over them to attackers.

Last week, Jakarta sentenced two IS supporters relating to the attack. One helped produce bombs and the other engaged in buying weapons and bullets.

Dozens of suspects concerning the attack have been arrested.-VNA