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Indonesian prosecutors have called for a life sentence for one of the main terrorism suspects who escaped capture for 18 years and accused him of organizing deadly attacks in the world’s most populous Muslim nation. Aris Sumarsono, 58, real name Arif Sunarso but better known as Zulkarnaen, remained unmoved as the prosecution announced the sentencing request before a three-judge panel of the East Jakarta District Court . Police and prosecutors say Zulkarnaen is the former military commander of Jemaah Islamiah, a Southeast Asian militant group linked to al-Qaeda. The group is widely blamed for the attacks, including the 2002 bombings on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, which killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists, including 88 Australian residents, as well as attacks in the Philippines. Zulkarnaen had escaped capture for 18 years after being named a suspect in the October 2002 suicide bombings at Paddy’s Pub and Sari Club in Bali. He was arrested last year in Lampung, a province in the southern tip of Sumatra. Police were told of his hiding place after questioning several activists allegedly arrested in previous raids. Zulkarnaen argued that he was a leader of the military wing of the network but was not involved in the operation of the Bali bombings, as he was focused on organizing his team for sectarian conflicts in Ambon and Poso and in the southern Philippines. During his trial, which began in September, other activists convicted of the 2002 Bali bombings, including Umar Patek and Ali Imron, who were sentenced to 20 years and life in prison respectively, supported the Zulkarnaen asks, claiming he was aware of the plot but played no role in how it worked. State Prosecutor Agus Tri told the court that Zulkarnaen’s actions resulted in deaths and injuries and that there was no reason to show leniency. “The accused was involved in the Bali bombing plan,” he told the court. “He also called on the special forces of his group led by him to save the property of Jemaah Islamiah, including the weapons and explosives.” Police previously said Zulkarnaen organized attacks on churches that occurred simultaneously in many parts of Indonesia on Christmas and New Years in 2000 and killed more than 20 people. He was also the mastermind of a bomb attack on the official residence of the Philippine Ambassador in Jakarta in 2000 which left two dead, and the architect of the sectarian conflict in Ambon and Poso from 1998 to 2000. Zulkarnaen , a biologist who was among the first Indonesian activists who traveled to Afghanistan in the 1980s for training, served as instructors at a military academy there for seven years, Indonesian police said. Since May 2005, Zulkarnaen has been on a UN Security Council sanctions list against al-Qaeda for being associated with Osama bin Laden or the Taliban. The Security Council said Zulkarnaen was one of Al Qaeda’s representatives in Southeast Asia and one of the few people in Indonesia who had direct contact with bin Laden’s network. He became head of operations for Jemaah Islamiah after his predecessor, Encep Nurjaman, also known as Hambali, was arrested in Thailand in 2003. Zulkarnaen’s next hearing is set for January 12, when he and his lawyers will respond to the charge. Australian Associated Press

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