International media are reporting that a Saudi national, Al Khelaiw Ali Abdullah, is to stand trial in Jakarta for allegedly funding terrorist activities in Indonesia. Two of those actions, the bombings of the J.W. Marriot and the Ritz-Carlton hotels, were completed. Others, including the attempted assassination of the Indonesia President, were thwarted.
Saudi stands trial over Jakarta hotel bombings
JAKARTA (AP): Prosecutors told a court Wednesday that a retired Saudi Arabian school teacher who ran an Internet cafe in Indonesia helped finance militants responsible for suicide bombings at two Jakarta hotels that killed seven and wounded more than 50.
Al Khelaiw Ali Abdullah, 55, denied any involvement in the July 17, 2009, attacks on the downtown J.W. Marriott and Ritz Carlton hotels.
“I’m not a terrorist. I’ll fight it,” Abdullah told reporters as he arrived at the South Jakarta District Court ahead of his trial by a panel of three judges.
Abdullah is charged with helping support terrorists by giving or lending money to perpetrators of a terrorist act. He faces a maximum 15 years in prison if convicted. The trial will resume next week.
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Saudi Gazette/Okaz run their own report (with wire service input):
In it, Abdullah denies any wrongdoing.
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February:25:2010 - 18:18
It also says that Zuhri, the chief planner of the bombing, flew to Mecca to raise funds for the attack… That’s a little strange. Normally you think of Dubai or the little Gulf states as the places to travel for illicit funds…
Is there a lot of loose change in Mecca?
February:26:2010 - 01:11
I didn’t realize Saudis were behind those attacks. Now, I know and nope not surprised. What is surprising is how little money is exchanging hands.
February:26:2010 - 01:12
American Delight…a better question would be are there a lot of loose canons in Mecca?
February:26:2010 - 02:25
I think Mecca provides a place where a lot of people can meet, hidden in the crowds. They come from all over, have a legitimate need for money (which they can use illegitimately), and it’s easy to look ‘normal’ to the security guards.
February:26:2010 - 13:50
It’s funny you say normal. Not recently but maybe 2000 or 1999 I can’t remember there was an Afghani man with a gaping hole in his arm who’d shoved it in our faces and said something. We had this experience not in the Holy Mosque but near a shack we were staying in on the outskirts of the mosque. All I can remember is my husband saying to the man “You best get that thang outta my face!” Of course it was said in Arabic and the facial expression on him was priceless. He was horrified. Later, he said he believed it was fake. I said, “Nah that crap looks real and fresh” which makes it weirder. HOnest to God it happened. The facial expression and the harsh words in Arabic was enough to get the man to go away without us having to pay to have the gross wound not smeared about all around us.
February:26:2010 - 20:58
Wow, Sparky, what a yucky story. I guess it’s fair to say there’s a lot of panhandling/begging around mosques & holy sites..?