Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
ABC News
ABC News
National

Bali bomber Umar Patek's release is being discussed. Here's what you need to know about that and his role in the attack

Indonesian authorities have reduced the jail term for Umar Patek (pictured her during his 2012 trial). (Reuters: Enny Nuraheni/File)

Umar Patek — who was jailed for 20 years over his role in the 2002 Bali bombings — has been given a further five-month reduction to his sentence as part of Indonesia's Independence Day celebrations.  

He was one of 16,659 prisoners in East Java who received a reduction in their prison terms.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the decision would add to the "distress and trauma" of victims' loved ones coming up to the 20th anniversary of the attack that killed 202 people, 88 of them Australians. 

Here's what we know.

Who is Umar Patek?

Patek was accused of being the expert bombmaker for Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), a South-East Asian terror network linked to Al Qaeda.

Evidence in his 2012 trial suggested former Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden gave JI $30,000 to wage jihad and Patek might have met him in a Pakistani town, a claim Patek repeatedly denied.

He went into hiding after the bombings, being on the most-wanted terrorist list in several countries, with the US offering a $1 million bounty for his head. 

Patek was eventually captured in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in 2011 and extradited to Indonesia. 

On top of his conviction over the Bali bombings, he was also found guilty of weapons and conspiracy charges over a terrorist training camp in Aceh in 2009, and for mixing explosives for a series of Christmas Eve attacks on churches in 2000.

Why was his sentence reduced?

Indonesian authorities say he's been deradicalised. 

Patek reportedly told Indonesian newspaper JawaPos he was committed to assisting the Indonesian government in deradicalisation programs.

"Because, so far, I think radicalism still exists," he said.

"It can exist anywhere, in any region or country. Because the roots are still there."

Umar Patek (second from left) participated in a Porong Prison flag-raising ceremony to mark Independence Day in 2017.  (Reuters: Antara Foto/Umarul Faruq)

He said he had been active for the past eight years in deradicalisation programs organised by prisons, Indonesia's National Counter Terrorism Agency and other institutions.

In 2015, Major General Agus Surya Bakti — who led the Indonesia's deradicalisation efforts through its anti-terrorism agency — spoke of Patek's success in the program

"It's an extraordinary thing," he said. 

Zaeroji — the head of Ministry of Law and Human Rights' provincial office — said the deradicalisation program at the Surabaya prison where Patek was serving his sentence was considered successful.

"Now there are seven terrorism convicts in the Surabaya prison, and all of them have declared their loyalty to the Republic of Indonesia," said Zaeroji, who goes by a single name.

Patek was one of 16,659 prisoners in East Java who received a reduction in their prison terms. (Twitter: East Java Ministry of Law and Human Rights)

What was Patek's role in the bombing?

Bombs went off at the Sari Club and Paddy's Bar in Kuta about 11pm on October 12, 2002. 

Patek made some of the bombs used in the attack, with local media calling him "Demolition Man" during his trial. 

He admitted mixing as much as 50 kilograms of the explosives and packing them into filing cabinets used to carry the bomb to the Sari Club.

During his trial, Patek downplayed his role in the terror plot and argued that he didn't know how the bombs would be used.

What do we know about his sentence?

Patek was convicted for premeditated murder.

He was spared the death penalty because he cooperated with investigators and and apologised to the victims' families, eventually being sentenced to 20 years in prison.

The ABC understands he has been granted routine remissions in his sentence, which has brought his release date forward to 2029. 

Typically, with incremental reductions and good behaviour, prisoners can get parole after serving about two thirds of their sentence. 

He was due to become eligible for parole in January. 

When might he walk free?

There are reports he could be freed within days — but that's only if he is granted parole. 

The ABC has been told that terrorists aren't usually eligible for parole.

And Indonesian authorities say no decision has been made on whether he will be released.

If he's not granted parole, he'll be in prison until 2029. 

There's been no decision on whether Umar Patek will be granted parole.  (AFP: Adek Berry/File)

Is Australia doing anything about this?

On ABC Breakfast, Mr Albanese said his government was in contact with Indonesia about this, but didn't go into specifics:

"We continue to make diplomatic representations in Australia's interest and we'll continue to do that across a range of issues relating to security and relating to sentences, including the sentences of Australians who are currently being kept in Indonesia. We'll continue to conduct that diplomatic action in Australia's national interest."

What about other people involved in the attack?

In 2008, Imam Samudra, Amrozi, and Mukhlas were executed for their roles in the attack. 

Abu Bakar Bashir — who was found guilty of conspiracy over the Bali bombings — was released from prison after 26 months in 2006 after his sentence was shortened.

He was given a 15-year jail sentence in 2011 for supporting militant training camps, but was released last year

As former military commander of JI, Aris Sumarsono — better known as Zulkarnaen — was accused of masterminding the attacks. 

In January, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison on a string to terror charges, but was unable to be tried in relation to the Bali bombings because the statue of limitations had expired.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.