Islamic militant goes on trial for assisting terrorists

An Islamic militant went on trial Thursday for alleged involvement in the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings and an attack the following year on the J.W. Marriott Hotel in the Indonesian capital. Abdulah Sunata alias Arman Krisdianto was among a dozen militants arrested in July in Central Java for their suspected involvement in the attacks. The charges against them include giving assistance to key terrorist leaders and possessing illegal arms and explosives. In the indictment read before the South Jakarta District Court, state prosecutor Maulana Kusuma accused Sunata of sheltering militants Umar Patek and Dulmatin, and channeling money to them. Authorities have also linked Sunata to the 2003 car bomb attacks at the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Jakarta. Dulmatin, an electronics specialist and bomb maker who goes by one name, and Patek, who focuses on recruitment and training, are key suspects in the nightclub bombings that killed 202 people on Oct. 12, 2002. Washington has offered rewards totaling US$11 million (Ђ9.28 million) for information leading to the arrest of the two men, who are believed to be leaders of the al-Qaida-linked terror network Jemaah Islamiyah. In 2004, a Saudi Arabian donor identified as Abu Mohammad has sent a total of about US$27,800 to Sunata, who then distributed the money to Patek and other militants in the Philippines, Maluku and North Sulawesi provinces, the prosecutor said, reports the AP. I.L.