ANP extension
ANNOUNCEMENTS••Edited
A 55-year-old man partly responsible for the 2002 Bali bombings has been released on parole in Indonesia. 202 people were killed in the terrorist attacks on two clubs in the popular entertainment district of Kuta. Among them were 88 Australians and four Dutch.
After nine years on the run, Umar Patek was arrested in January 2011 in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad. In 2012, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of helping to build a car bomb that was detonated by another person in front of a club in Kuta.
Associated with al Qaeda
Patek was a senior member of the Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist organization, which is affiliated with al-Qaeda. He received a total of 33 months of a reduced sentence for good behavior and had satisfied the condition of serving two-thirds of his sentence.
According to authorities, Patek is under surveillance and will have to participate in a surveillance program until the end of his parole on April 29, 2030.
Reviews from Australia
In August, Indonesian authorities already clarified that Patek was eligible for probation. This sparked outrage among relatives of the victims and politicians in Australia. For example, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he is considering diplomatic measures against Indonesia.
Last year, Indonesian Muslim preacher Abu Bakar Bashir, thought to have masterminded the attacks, was released at the age of 82. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2011 but received a reduced sentence of 55 months.
