Image: Reuters Berita 24 English - Monday, the media reported that an Indonesian militant said he was sorry for his part in the deadly bomb...
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| Image: Reuters |
Berita 24 English - Monday, the media reported that an Indonesian militant said he was sorry for his part in the deadly bombings in Bali in 2002. The news of his upcoming release has angered people in Australia.
In 2012, Umar Patek was given a 20-year prison sentence for his role in bombings that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians, in two Bali nightclubs. After a string of time off for good behaviour, he became eligible for parole this month.
The Indonesian justice minister has the final say on when he will be freed, but the exact date is still unknown.
ABC News in Australia used a rare video shot in the Porong prison where Bali bomber Patek is being held to show that he also wants to warn young Indonesians about the dangers of religious extremism when he gets out.
Reuters was not able to look at Umar Patek's video. The head of Porong prison, Jalu Yuswa Panjang, said that it was taken down from the prison's official YouTube page because it had not been approved by the justice ministry.
Australia is worried about Patek's upcoming parole. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that Patek's release would have a "devastating effect on the families of victims."
ABC News Australia said that on Sunday, East Java's Porong prison, where Patek has been held since 2014, posted a 20-minute video of Patek and the prison head walking around the prison grounds while Patek talks about his role in the deadly attack.
"My mistake was being involved in the Bali bombing," he says to the head of the prison in the video, which ABC reported.
During Patek's trial in 2012, his lawyers said that he only put together the bombs because he was told to, and that he did not plan or carry out the attack.
Since then, Indonesian authorities have pointed to Patek as an example of the country's efforts to stop people from becoming radicalised.
