Bali bomber freed: no longer poses a threat say authorities
Umar Patek – the man who crafted the bombs that killed and injured scores – has been released from an Indonesian prison.
The deadly bombings took place at two Bali nightclubs in 2002.
Indonesia says Umar Parek has been deradicalised, but his parole has sparked anger -, particularly in Australia, where 88 of the victims were from.
The bombings claimed the lives of some 202 people from 21 nations. It remains Indonesia’s deadliest terror attack.
Indonesia terror attack
Patek was accused of being a bombmaker for Jemaah Islamiah (JI) – a group inspired by al-Qaeda.
He spent almost a decade on the run, before being jailed in 2012 for 20 years. He severed just over half of his initial sentence.
Indonesian authorities say Patek is no longer a threat and is eligible for release after a series of sentence reductions for good behaviour.
Survivor Jan Laczynski said he was among those shocked and angry. He lost five friends in the bombing. He spoke to the BBC about the release.
“This guy gets his life back again. For a lot of us we’ll never get our lives back again,” he said.
“It’s appalling. It’s dreadful. It’s wrong.”
