LAKSAMANA.Net, February 11, 2003 09:59 PM
'There Will Be More Casualties'
February 11, 2003 09:59 PM
Laksamana.Net - The field commander of the Bali bombings, Imam Samudra, has
warned there will be more attacks on Americans and their allies, while another key
suspect has apologized to the families of the victims.
Samudra, whose confession to police was broadcast Monday (10/2/03) night on
Australian current affairs program Four Corners, reportedly said the October 12, 2002,
bombings were carried out in revenge for US-led attacks on civilians in Afghanistan
and Iraq.
"We talked about our obligations as Muslims toward fellow Muslims who are being
oppressed and slaughtered by the American terrorists and their allies - England,
France, Australia, and so on," he said.
Samudra gives 13 reasons for why the bombers targeted nightclubs on Jalan Legian in
the tourist hub of Kuta in Bali. Two of the first three reasons mention Australia.
"One - to oppose the barbarity of the US army of the Cross and its allies - England,
Australia, and so on. Two - to take revenge for the 200,000 men, women, and children
and babies who died without sin when thousands of tons of bombs were dropped in
Afghanistan. Three, Australia had taken part in efforts to separate East Timor from
Indonesia, which was an international conspiracy by followers of the Cross."
According to Four Corners, Australia was initially selected as a target by none other
than al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in 2001.
"The crusader Australian forces were on Indonesian shores and they landed on East
Timor, which is part of the Islamic world," bin Laden was quoted as saying.
The claim that Australians were deliberately targeted is mentioned again in the
confession of Mukhlas, whose brothers Amrozi and Ali Imron have also confessed to
involvement in the bombings.
"We planned the explosion in Bali because there are many places in Bali that are
visited by tourists from these countries, such as the United States, England, France,
Australia, Israel, and other countries who behave despotically towards Muslims,"
Mukhlas allegedly said.
He expressed surprise at the intensity of the bombings, which killed at least 193
people – mostly foreign tourists – inside and outside Sari Club and Paddy's Irish
Pub.
"Firstly, I was shocked, because the explosion was extremely intense, beyond
expectations. I had estimated that only the Sari Club and Paddy's would be
destroyed. Secondly, I felt grateful, because in my opinion the planned mission and
objectives had been achieved, because there were many casualties from amongst
American allies, including Australian citizens. Thirdly, I sought Allah's forgiveness
because apparently there had been some Muslim casualties."
Samudra said he and some of the other plotters had selected the Sari Club and
Paddy's during a surveillance period because they were hangouts for Western
terrorists.
"When we got to Jalan Legian, we sat in the car in front of the Sari Club. I saw lots of
whiteys dancing, and lots of whiteys drinking there. That place - Kuta, and especially
Paddy's Bar and the Sari Club - was a meeting place for US terrorists and their allies,
who the whole world knows to be the monsters," he told police.
He expressed no remorse for his actions. "I felt that I feared only Allah, and that my
efforts - which had been so small - had caused the deaths of so many people. But if
those killed were not Muslims but Americans and their allies, then I was grateful."
'Kill Americans'
Australian Federal Police and some analysts have expressed serious doubt over the
confessions that the bombers deliberately targeted Australians.
Their skepticism is partly due to the initial confession of Amrozi – the first person to
be arrested in connection with the bombings. He told police the sole aim of the
attacks was to kill as many Americans as possible, in revenge for America's
treatment of Muslims. Yet only six Americans perished in the attack, whereas at
least 88 Australians were killed.
Amrozi said the bombers hit the "wrong targets" because many Australians also
travel to Bali. He told police that he and the other bombers "were not very happy
because Australians were killed" instead of Americans.
On Tuesday, Amrozi's brother Ali Imron also said the attacks were intended to kill
Americans, not Australians.
He made the comment after showing police and reporters how he assembled the
1,000 kilograms of explosives, mostly potassium chlorate, used in the car bomb that
was detonated outside the Sari Club.
Imron apologized to relatives of the victims. "I admit I cannot cheat my own feelings,
that I felt sorry in my heart about the Bali case. I could actually do the bomb and feel
sorry in my heart but not say sorry with my mouth ... I could [say it], but I can't cheat
my heart. Therefore I offer apologies especially to families of the victims, from
Indonesia and abroad," he was quoted as saying by The Sydney Morning Herald.
But also expressed pride in the talent of the bombers. "The capabilities of our group
as the sons of the Indonesian nation are worth being proud of," he was quoted as
saying by the Herald.
Imron firmly rejected Samudra's claims that the Kuta nightclubs were selected
because they knew Australians would be there.
"Actually our target was America and its allies because they are the international
terrorist. At that time I personally did not know whether Australia was America's ally
or not."
Proof of this was a bomb placed on a sidewalk about 50 meters from the US
Consulate in Denpasar. This was apparently intended as a "warning" to Americans
that the bigger blasts at the nightspots were meant for them.
So why were most of the casualties Australians? Analysts say that either the
bombers carried out poor reconnaissance work, or they were simply looking for a soft
target, or that a hardline military faction might have played a covert role in the attack
to punish Australia for its role in East Timor's 1999 secession from Indonesia.
'Christian Infidels'
Indonesian and Australian police fear the possibility of further attacks from Southeast
Asian terrorism organization Jemaah Islamiyah, which has been blamed for the Bali
bombings.
Australian Federal Police chief Mick Keelty said it was possible that some of the Bali
plotters still at large are now lying low and planning their next attack.
Among the Jemaah Islamiyah members yet to be captured are organizer Idris,
bomb-builder Dulmatin, mastermind Hambali, bomb manual author Dr Azahari and at
least two other key figures.
Chief of the Indonesian investigation team, General I Made Mangku Pastika, said:
"We believe that these people are still going around and they will make an attempt to
make another target."
He said there are Jemaah Islamiyah cells still in place, ready to carry out attacks.
"For the time being, maybe they will sleep or hide, but not in the long run, so we have
to fight against them."
Four Corners reported that in the wake of the Bali bombings, Samudra set up a
website explaining the attack and warning of more violence against America and its
allies in the "Army of the Cross".
"For all you Christian infidels, if you say that this killing was barbaric and cruel, and
happened to innocent civilians from your countries, then you should know that you do
crueler things than that. Do you think that 600,000 babies in Iraq, and half a million
Afghan children and their mothers are soldiers and sinful people who should have to
endure the thousands of tons of your bombs? As long as you regard our brothers and
sisters as terrorists and torture them in your prisons, there will continue to be
casualties from your countries, wherever they may be."
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