An ISIS cleric has been sentenced to death for masterminding the group’s first attack in Indonesia – a suicide bombing at a Starbucks cafe.
Aman Abdurrahman had earlier been found guilty of ordering the atrocity, which left four dead in the city of Jakarta in 2016.
Several hundred heavily armed counterterrorism police guarded the hearing for the sentencing as Abdurrahman was convicted over what was the first attack claimed by the international terror network in Southeast Asia.
During a trial, prosecutors said Abdurrahman’s instructions from prison, where he was serving a terrorism-related sentence, resulted in several attacks in Indonesia
Executions are carried out by firing squad in the world’s biggest Muslim-majority country, which has long struggled with Islamist militancy.
The deadly assault in the capital two years ago saw security forces battle gun-toting militants near the cafe where a suicide bomber detonated his explosives.
Cleric Aman Abdurrahman (centre, surrounded by armed guards in court today) has been sentenced to death in Indonesia after being found guilty of ordering an ISIS attack that left four people dead in Jakarta in 2016
ISIS cleric Aman Abdurrahman (pictured in court today) has been sentenced to death for masterminding the group’s first attack in Indonesia – a suicide bombing at a Starbucks
Aman Abdurrahman (pictured today) had earlier been found guilty of ordering the atrocity, which left four dead in the city of Jakarta in 2016
Atrocity: An ISIS fanatic suicide bomber detonated a device at a Starbucks cafe in Jakarta during the attack in January 2016
‘(The defendant) has been proven to have committed a criminal act of terrorism,’ said judge Akhmad Jaini, who also cited Abdurrahman’s involvement in other plots for the ruling. He will be sentenced to death.’
Abdurrahman, who sat on a defendant’s chair in the middle of the courtroom, appeared bored and showed little reaction as machine gun-toting guards stood nearby.
He gestured to his legal team and briefly kissed the floor as the panel of five judges announced the sentence while counterterrorism officers guarding him uttered ‘praise be to God.’
His lawyer, Asludin Hatjani, described the ruling as ‘unfair’, citing a lack of evidence connecting Abdurrahman to the deadly attack.
In 2002, bombings at the resort island of Bali killed over 200 – mostly foreign tourists – in Indonesia’s worst-ever terror attack.
Two years ago, Jakarta came under attack by a team of gun-wielding jihadists. Prosecutors demanded last month that Abdurrahman be handed a death sentence for his role in that assault.
A fierce gun battle took place on the streets of Jakarta as jihadists killed four people and detonated a bomb at a Starbucks cafe
Abdurrahman was convicted over what was the first attack claimed by the international terror network in Southeast Asia. Pictured: The aftermath of the 2016 atrocity
The assault in the capital two years ago saw security forces battle gun-toting militants near the cafe where a suicide bomber detonated his explosives
Executions are carried out by firing squad in the world’s biggest Muslim-majority country, which has long struggled with Islamist militancy
Abdurrahman sat on a chair in the centre of the court as a court sentenced him to death over the Jakarta atrocity in 2016
Several hundred paramilitary and counterterrorism police secured the Jakarta court where the trial took place
Considered the de facto head of ISIS supporters in Indonesia, Abdurrahman – believed to be 46 – is also the spiritual leader of local extremist network Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD).
Authorities have said JAD was involved in the 2016 Jakarta attack and a recent wave of suicide bombings in Indonesia’s second-biggest city Surabaya.
Two families – including girls aged nine and 12 – blew themselves up at churches and a police station last month, killing 13.
Authorities have not charged Abdurrahman – who was already in jail on a separate terror conviction – over the Surabaya attacks.
Despite being imprisoned since 2010, he has recruited militants to join IS, is thought to have been in communication with leaders of the jihadist group, and is the main translator for ISIS propaganda in Indonesia, according to analysts and authorities.
The cleric gestured to his legal team and briefly kissed the floor as the panel of five judges announced the sentence while counterterrorism officers guarding him uttered ‘praise be to God’
Abdurrahman, who sat on a defendant’s chair in the middle of the courtroom, appeared bored and showed little reaction as machine gun-toting guards stood nearby
Hundreds of armed guards circled the court as Abdurrahman (back, centre) was sentenced to death over the 2016 killings
Considered the de facto head of ISIS supporters in Indonesia, Abdurrahman – believed to be 46 – is also the spiritual leader of local extremist network Jamaah Ansharut Daulah
Authorities have said JAD was involved in the 2016 Jakarta attack and a recent wave of suicide bombings in Indonesia’s second-biggest city Surabaya
Apart from the 2016 Jakarta attacks, JAD carried out suicide attacks the following year which killed three policemen and injured a dozen others at a busy bus station in Jakarta
The cleric’s lawyer, Asludin Hatjani, described the ruling as ‘unfair’, citing a lack of evidence connecting Abdurrahman to the deadly attack
Although considered Indonesia’s largest pro-ISIS coalition, JAD’s structure and links to the network are murky.
The Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict has said JAD is ‘a generic term’ used for any ISIS supporter and functions more as an umbrella organisation than a coherent group.
Formed in 2015, JAD is thought to be composed of some two dozen Indonesian groups that have pledged allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, according to the US State Department, which last year designated it as an extremist network.
Apart from the 2016 Jakarta attacks, JAD carried out suicide attacks the following year which killed three policemen and injured a dozen others at a busy bus station in Jakarta.
It has also been linked to a series of other plots including a firebomb attack on a church that killed a toddler and a plan to launch a Christmas-time suicide bombing. This was foiled when the militants planning the attack were killed.
Abdurrahman, who police and prosecutors say is a key ideologue for IS militants in the world’s largest Muslim nation, kneeled and kissed the floor as the panel of five judges announced the sentence while counterterrorism officers guarding him uttered ‘praise be to God’
Fears of attacks have been elevated in Indonesia after suicide bombings in the country’s second-largest city, Surabaya, last month that were carried out by families including their young children
During the trial, prosecutors said Abdurrahman’s instructions from prison, where he was serving a terrorism-related sentence, resulted in several attacks in Indonesia
The defendant’s ‘speeches, teachings and instructions have inspired his group and followers to commit criminal acts of terrorism in Indonesia,’ said presiding Judge Ahmad Zaini
The court said there was no reason for leniency as it gave the cleric’s defense lawyers seven days to consider lodging an appeal
Abdurrahman has refused to recognize the authority of the court, part of his rejection of secular government in Indonesia and desire to replace it with Shariah law
Adhe Bhakti, an analyst at the Center for Radicalization and De-radicalization Studies in Jakarta, said it’s possible militants could respond to Abdurrahman’s death sentence with reprisal plots