One of the main Bali bombers has been let out of prison to have coffee at a popular shopping mall in central Jakarta, it was reported today. Ali Imron, the so-called repentant bomber sentenced to life imprisonment for his part in the attacks which claimed more than 200 lives, was spotted having coffee at Starbucks with the director of Indonesian narcotics and drugs Brigadier-General Gorries Mere. When challenged by journalists the pair and a number of black-clad armed police guards fled to a waiting car and sped off, Detik.com news said tonight. "I walk often with Pak (Mr) Gorries," Ali Imron said in response to questions. Imron was sentenced to life in jail after appearing deeply remorseful throughout his trial and repeatedly apologising to victims. His brothers, so-called "smiling assassin" Amrozi bin Nurhasyim and Mukhlas bin Nurhasyim were sentenced to death along with fellow attack mastermind Imam Samudra.
After his arrest Ali Imron showed police how he mixed, then packed, the explosives into the bomb that was detonated outside the Sari Club. He also helped train the two suicide bombers involved in the attack and drove the bomb van to within a few hundred metres of the blast site. Brigadier-General Gorries was one of the main investigators of the Bali bombings before he was transferred to narcotics at national police headquarters in Jakarta. The pair were spotted shortly after 7pm (10pm AEST) at a Starbucks store on the second floor of the newly opened Entertainment X'Nter and movie complex beside the swank Plaza Indonesia shopping centre beside the Welcome Fountain in central Jakarta. They had coffee together for almost three hours and also moved on to the nearby Hard Rock Cafe. The mall is home to designer stores including Versace, Valentino and Zegna.
Ali Imron's night out with Jakarta's rich and beautiful came amid fears several of the Bali bombers could walk free because of a recent court riling striking down anti-terror laws used to convict them. But Indonesia's government has promised none of the main bombers will ever be released as prosecutors prepare to try suspected Jemaah Islamiah spiritual leader Abu Bakar Bashir for links to terrorism. The head of Kerobokan Prison in Bali, where Ali Imron was jailed, confirmed he had been temporarily transferred to Jakarta to help in a police investigation. |