Bali bombing accused begs for leniency
Umar Patek. Photo: AFP
UMAR Patek is a tiny man, pixie-faced and slump-shouldered inside the white baju koko worn by devout Muslims.
''I'm a quiet person, shy, and low in education,'' he told The Age in an exclusive interview just before his trial for terrorism and mass murder continued yesterday.
But this unimposing man helped mix the bombs that ripped apart two Bali nightclubs 10 years ago and killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.
Patek, 45, who was trained in bomb-making among the mujahideen in Afghanistan then fought jihad in the Philippines, has admitted mixing about 50 kilograms of chemicals to go into almost one tonne of explosives used in the killer bombs.
But throughout the four months of his trial at the West Jakarta District Court he has emphasised his smallness, his unimportance. He was ''a deer'', he told the court yesterday, among the ''elephants'' of the plot, such as the already executed Imam Samudra, Mukhlas and Amrozi.
''Jewish slander'' and the media had overblown his role.
In his heart, though, Patek said he knew what he had done. ''My conscience says I am guilty,'' he confided to The Age. ''I did mix [explosive] materials.''
Despite this, his lawyers have argued that he should be found not guilty of the bombings, and guilty only of forging passports.
He opposed the killing of innocents, voiced his opposition to the Bali plot and participated reluctantly, they have said. He therefore had ''not deliberately'' contributed.
The death sentence is available for these charges but prosecutors have asked for life in prison. Yesterday Patek made a heartfelt plea for 10 years or less.
''[The explosives I mixed were] less than 50 kilograms. I am guilty for that but … I believe the panel of judges must consider my motive … my state of psychology. The panel of judges must consider my disagreement [with the tactics] and that it wasn't my call.''
Patek said he was originally lured into jihad in 1991 by Dulmatin (killed by police in a shootout in 2010), who took him to Malaysia as a young man to find work and study religion under radical teacher Mukhlas.
Twenty years later he has lost little of his religious fanaticism.
''My position about jihad remains the same,'' he told The Age. ''It is an obligation of every Muslim to carry out jihad.''
Holy war, though, should only be waged against those ''who attack Muslims''.
''My question was, did the Balinese attack Muslims in Bali? Or did the bule [white foreigners] in Bali attack Muslims? Or were they Jews? I think the correct way is to go to Palestine and fight the Jews who slaughtered Palestinians.''
Other hard-line beliefs also remain. Radical preacher Abu Bakar Bashir, now serving a 15-year jail sentence for supporting a jihadi training camp in Aceh, was harmless, Patek said.
''I think he only preaches. I think there's nothing wrong with preaching.''
Patek continues to believe it's forbidden for Muslims to shake hands with people from other religions. But to the new generation of religious thugs whose influence is growing in Indonesia, Patek said the Koran did not authorise the burning of churches or the use of violence against other religions.
Patek has issued a number of apologies to the victims of his crimes, and asked their families to forgive him. Asked what he could do in reparation, he said there was nothing except to say that ''Islam is not a religion of violence''.
Patek's sentence will be delivered by the panel of five judges on either June 18 or 2
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