KUALA LUMPUR: Two Malaysian terror suspects linked to the 2002 Bali bombings, Indonesia's deadliest terrorist attack, entered guilty pleas to murder charges in a US military court at Guantanamo Bay yesterday.
Mohammed Nazir Lep and Mohamad Farik Amin were seen appearing for the hearing broadcasted via video link, to reporters covering it from Fort Meade, a U.S. Army base in Maryland.
Nazir and Farik have been incarcerated for over 17 years and this marked the first time the duo officially entered pleas since their transfer to the American navy base in 2006.
According to The New York Times and other online reports, the guilty pleas encompass five of the nine charges filed against them in January 2021, including intentional causing of bodily injury, destruction of property, conspiracy, and accessory after the fact.
During the proceedings, the Malaysian duo affirmed their intent to kill one or more persons. However, they pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder, terrorism, and two counts related to attacking civilians.
Despite their admission to the Bali bombings, both defendants pleaded not guilty to charges associated with the 2003 Jakarta Marriott hotel bombing.
The US Air Force officer presiding over the case was Judge Wesley A. Braun, in which the judge inquired about evidence regarding the defendants' command roles, to which prosecutors replied in the negative concerning the conspiracy charge.
The 2002 Bali bombings, orchestrated by Jemaah Islamiyah, the Southeast Asian affiliate of al-Qaeda, claimed the lives of 202 individuals, including Indonesians, Australians, and seven Americans.
The attack remains one of the deadliest in the region, echoing the global impact of terrorism following the events of Sept 11, 2001.
