Two Malaysians, Mohammed Farik Amin, 48, and Mohammed Nazir Lep, 47, have admitted to being accessories in the 2002 Bali bombing, following their detention at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba since 2006, as reported by the New York Times on Wednesday (Jan 17).
In 2021, 18 years after being held in Thailand, they were charged, and the sentencing is expected to occur next week.
Both individuals were held by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in secret locations overseas for several years before being transferred to Guantanamo Bay in 2006 to face trial in a special security court established by former United States president George W. Bush after the Sept 11, 2001 attack.
In addition, Encep Nurjaman, also known as Hambali from Indonesia, was also charged in connection to the bombings in Bali.
Last October, the New York Times reported that Mohammed Farik and Mohammed Nazir reached an agreement with the district attorney in Guantanamo Bay to plead guilty as ‘accessories’ to the terrorist attack in Bali. Their case was heard separately from Hambali’s.
Hambali is currently facing murder, terrorism, and conspiracy charges related to the 2002 and 2003 incidents, and if convicted, could face a life sentence.
According to their plea statement, the two Malaysians agreed to testify against Hambali, who was the former leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah movement.
In 2018, both individuals were charged with nine counts related to the Bali nightclub bombing, which resulted in 202 deaths, as well as the bombing of a hotel in 2003, where 11 people were killed.
