Dujana's terror trial will go ahead

An Indonesian court ruled Thursday it would go ahead with a terrorism case against Abu Dujana, the self-described militant leader of an Islamic extremist group blamed for the 2002 Bali bombings.

Dujana, whose June 2007 arrest dealt a severe blow to Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), is charged with plotting terrorist activities, moving explosives destined for terror acts and sheltering terrorists.

He could face the death penalty if found guilty.

The 37-year-old militant is not specifically charged over any attack, though one of the men he is accused of protecting, Malaysian national Noordin M. Top, is believed linked to a slew of attacks aimed at Western targets.

The court hearing Dujana's case, which began last month, rejected an attempt by the defence to quash the case on the grounds that it did not have jurisdiction to try it.

"South Jakarta district court has the right to try the case. We have ordered prosecutors to continue the trial by hearing witnesses," Wahjono, the head of the panel of judges, told the court.

A member of Dujana's legal team, Asludin Hatjani, told reporters that the case should have been tried in Central Java as that was where Dujana's alleged crimes occurred.

"But we need to respect the judges' decision," he said.

Walking out of the courtroom after the ruling, Dujana told reporters: "I'm ready to face this legal process. It will be a long process. The journey is still long, I cannot give any comment."

The trial will resume January 14.

JI's self-confessed overall boss, Zarkasi, was also arrested last June in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta and is facing a separate trial that is currently ongoing.

JI was previously believed to have links with Al-Qaeda, but security analysts now believe the organisation is isolated.

AFP

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