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| Southeast Asia |
| Womans terror trial begins |
| 2010-04-06 |
| [Straits Times] AN INDONESIAN woman went on trial on Monday on charges of harbouring South-east Asia's most wanted terrorist at the home where he was slain last year in a shootout with police. Judges opened and then immediately adjourned the trial of 21-year-old Putri Munawaroh, who was arrested after September's gunbattle at a home in Central Java. The trial was scheduled to resume on Wednesday. The proceedings will focus on Munawaroh's ties to alleged militant mastermind Noordin Top, who was killed in the raid along with three other suspected terrorists, including Munawaroh's husband. Noordin, a Malaysian who eluded capture for more than seven years, was said to be an Al-Qaeda-funded bomb maker wanted in connection with five major bombings in Indonesia since 2002, including the massive blast in Bali that year that left more than 200 dead. He was also accused of ties to last July's twin suicide attacks at the Ritz-Carlton and J.W. Marriott hotels in Jakarta that killed seven and wounded 50. Those strikes ended four-year lull in terrorist attacks in the world's largest Muslim-majority country. Prosecutors say Munawaroh's husband was an aide to Noordin and rented the safe house police raided. Investigators say that during interrogations Munawaroh, who was wounded in the shootout, said she didn't surrender because she had intended to die as a martyr while protecting Noordin. She was pregnant at the time of her arrest and later gave birth to a son, who lives with her in prison. If convicted of harbouring terrorists and concealing information about terrorist activities, she faces 20 years in prison. She has yet to speak publicly about the charges. Her trial is expected to last months. |
| Posted by:Fred |