2002 Bali bomber now repentant, speaks out against Islamic State

JAKARTA — The last surviving member of the terrorist cell responsible for the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people has expressed regret for his actions and condemned the violence wrought by the Sunni militant group Islamic State.

Ali Imron, serving a life sentence for his role in the October 2002 attacks on nightclubs in the popular resort island, said his goal all along was for the establishment of a nation grounded in Islamic values, but conceded that achieving this through violent means was wrong.

“We still dream of establishing a country based on Islamic values, but in a good way. It is wrong to reach this goal through bomb attacks like we once did,” he told reporters yesterday (Nov 25) at the Jakarta Police headquarters, where he is currently in custody.

Imron, the brother of the Bali bombing masterminds Amrozi and Mukhlas, who were executed in 2008, said the violent campaign now being carried out by Islamic State did not conform to the true ideals of jihad, or holy war.

“If I ever meet (Islamic State) members (I would explain to them) that that is not what jihad is,” he said. “I am ready to advocate (against Islamic State) if I am free. The government can translate (my readiness) however they want.”

He added he wanted to tell young militants that violent jihad should be waged only in a war zone or where Muslims were under attack.

Imron’s statement came as authorities said an estimated 100 Indonesians who had fought for Islamic State in Syria and Iraq had since returned home. The possibility of a Paris-style attack in Indonesia remains remote, though, security observers say.

The Jakarta Police, headed by former counter-terrorism chief Inspector General Tito Karnavian, say they hope the message from a one-time radical will dissuade Indonesians from joining Islamic State.

Arrested in January 2003 while on the run in East Kalimantan, Imron was tried and convicted of helping assemble the bombs used in the 2002 attacks, and sentenced to life in prison that September.

Since then, police have used Imron to help them in their counter-terrorism activities. THE JAKARTA GLOBE