Bali bombings: A plot to inflict as much pain and catastrophe as possible

On October 12, 2002, two bombings at a well-liked vacationer spot in Kuta, Bali killed 202 folks, together with 88 Australians.
That incomprehensible evening, when an enormous second van bomb eviscerated a big part of a industrial and residential neighbourhood in Kuta, stays the largest terrorist assault launched in opposition to Australian residents.
Masterminded by South East Asian militant community Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), the devastating assault was carried out by two suicide bombers, appearing on the cautious directions of a wider group of plotters and bomb makers.

The Bali bombing assaults killed 202 folks in 2002. Now, folks accused of the assaults are set to go on trial in Guantanamo.(AP)

Australian newspaper frontpage headlines of the terrorist bombing attacks in Bali
The October 2002 nightclub bombings in Bali killed 202 folks , lots of them Australians.(Getty)

One man wore an explosive vest and walked into Paddy's Bar, blowing up himself and others, whereas the opposite drove a white Mitsubishi van laden with greater than 1000kgs of highly effective explosives and parked it up outdoors the close by Sari Membership, the place JI knew it will trigger catastrophic casualties.
The timeline under maps out how the lethal terror assault was plotted and launched.

A while in early 2002

It is believed a secret assembly of JI operatives came about in a lodge room someplace in southern Thailand.
Inside that room, in line with a BBC investigation, the broad strokes of an assault had been deliberate.
It's thought the fear group selected a brand new technique, to deal with attacking tender targets, like nightclubs frequented by vacationers, as an alternative of excessive safety international embassies.
No tender targets are confirmed within the assembly.

August 2002

A gaggle of JI-affiliated plotters meet on the home of Ali Imron, who was later jailed for all times for his half within the assaults.
Additionally on the dwelling in Solo, Central Java is the important thing determine of Imam Samudra, who declares Bali needs to be the goal for a bombing assault.
Imron stated Bali was chosen as a result of it was standard with vacationers from the US and different Western nations.
In response to Imron, Samudra instructed the assembly that an assault on Bali can be a part of a jihad, or holy battle, in opposition to the People after their invasion of Afghanistan.

The Bali bomb site in Kuta
An enormous bomb tore by the Sari Membership, for a cut up second silencing the group of revelers as they chatted, drank and danced on a typical Saturday evening out.(Getty)

Families and friends of the Bali bombing sit amongst the rubble of where the Sari club once stood
Households and associates of the Bali bombing sit amongst the rubble of the place the Sari membership as soon as stood(Kate Geraght)

Months main into October 12

A Muslim preacher known as Mukhlas, who additionally glided by the identify Ali Ghufron, is the operational chief of JI in Southeast Asia.
Given duty to co-ordinate the assaults, Mukhlas assembles a small staff, approves targets and secures financing.
He recruits his youthful brothers, Amrozi and Ali Imron, who play key roles within the assault.
Amrozi and Ali Imron assist construct and transport the bombs used within the assaults.
Two different males, Azahari Husin and Dulmatin, had been suspected of constructing and triggering the bombs and had been killed throughout subsequent police raids.
It is thought Mukhlas and Samudra meet a number of occasions in western Java throughout August and September.
Plans are mentioned and refined.
The bombings are initially deliberate for September 11, to mark the primary anniversary of al-Qaeda's assault on the Twin Towers.
However the dates are pushed again, as a result of the bombs aren't prepared in time.

Amrozi became known around the world as "the smiling bomber".
Amrozi grew to become recognized around the globe as "the smiling bomber". His lack of regret and jocular defiance made him the face of the Bali bombers.(AP)

Imam Samudra is escorted into court.
Imam Samudra was executed for his function within the Bali bombings.(AP)

October 12, 2002

Three of the group go collectively to buy a model new Yamaha bike, and Imron makes use of the bike to plant a small bomb outdoors the US Consulate in Denpasar.
Later, Imron palms over the Yamaha to a terrorist named Idris, with the pair planning to reconnect on it later that evening.
Imron now will get behind the wheel of a white Mitsubishi L300 van and drives two suicide bombers in to the nightclub district in Kuta.
The again of the van is loaded with 12 plastic submitting cupboards crammed with explosives; a mix of potassium chlorate, aluminium powder, sulfur combination with a TNT booster.
Imron parks the van close to the Sari Membership, which is filled with vacationers.
He instructs one suicide bomber to placed on his vest. He tells the opposite to arm the car bomb.

An aerial view of the devastating Bali bombing blast scene as Australian Federal Police forensic experts along with their Indonesian counterparts sift through the rubble.
An aerial view of the devastating Bali bombing blast scene as Australian Federal Police forensic specialists together with their Indonesian counterparts sift by the rubble.(AAP)

A man looks at the Bali bomb site
On the evening of October 12, 2002, simply previous 11pm native time, a bomb went off inside Paddy's Bar, sending clubbers out into the road and into the trail of an enormous automobile bomb outdoors the Sari Membership. A 3rd, smaller bomb was detonated seconds later outdoors the US consulate however it brought on no accidents.(Getty)

11pm

The primary bomber heads for Paddy's Pub and Imron exits the van, leaving the second bomber to drive a brief distance to proper outdoors the Sari Membership.
Idris decide up Imron on the Yamaha they usually head for Denpasar.

11.05pm

The suicide bomber in Paddy's Pub explodes his vest, sending injured and panicked folks working outdoors into the road.

20 seconds later

Timed to hit as many harmless folks fleeing Paddy's as attainable, the van bomb explodes.
The 1020kg of lethal explosives creates an enormous, high-temperature blast, much like a thermobaric explosive.
The blasts kill 202 folks and injures 209 others.
Injury to the encompassing areas is immense, destroying buildings and shattering home windows a number of blocks away.
The van bomb explosion leaves a one-metre-deep crater.

Bali bombing survivors transfer to internal flights at Sydney International Airport, 24 hours after the blast
Bali bombing survivors switch to inner flights at Sydney Worldwide Airport, 24 hours after the blast.(SMH)

25 seconds later

From the Yamaha bike, Idris dials the variety of the Nokia to detonate the bomb on the US Consulate. 
One individual suffers minor accidents, and there may be restricted injury to property.
Far-off from grisly scenes in Kuta, Imron and Idris ditch the Yamaha at a mosque, the place it's later seen by the temple's caretaker.

October 13

An investigation swings into motion, involving Australian Federal Police.
Australian officers and specialists are deployed to assist Indonesian police discover the bombers, establish victims and return our bodies to their households.
The ill-equipped native Sanglah Hospital cannot handle the overwhelming emergency, significantly burn victims.
Australian authorities ship 5 refrigeration models to Bali as a result of native morgues can not address the state of affairs.
An evacuation of the burned and injured begins, with many flown to hospitals in Darwin and Perth on RAAF Hercules plane.

November 5

Indonesian police arrest the primary suspect, Amrozi.
They seize his cell phone, which proves an important piece of proof.
Chemical components for bombs and different necessary forensic proof linking him to the assaults are additionally present in his workshop.
In 2003 he's discovered responsible and is sentenced to demise.
Throughout his trial, he's dubbed the "smiling bomber" for his expressions in courtroom.

November 21

Police arrest the alleged chief planner of the bombings, Imam Samudra.
In 2003 he's discovered responsible of masterminding the assaults and is sentenced to demise.

December 4

Mukhlas is arrested in central Java.
In 2003, he's sentenced to demise.

The wreckage from the Bali bombings
2 hundred and two folks had been killed; 88 Australians, 38 Indonesians, 24 Britons, seven People and 30 others from various European nations. New Zealand, Brazil, Canada and Japan additionally misplaced residents, as did South Africa, South Korea and Ecuador.(AP)

August 11, 2003

Encep Nurjaman, higher often called Hambali, is detained in Thailand after a joint operation by Thai police and the CIA.
Skilled in Afghanistan within the Nineties, Hambali is linked to the Bali bombings.
The US whisk him off to their anti-terror base in Guantanamo Bay, the place he has been detained for the previous 16 years.

October 24, 2008

Bali officers announce Samudra, Amrozi and Mukhlas can be executed by firing squad in November.

November 9, 2008

All three are shot useless.

March 2011

After years on the run, and with a $US1 million bounty on his head, Bali bombing suspect Umar Patek is lastly arrested in Pakistan.
Patek is captured in Abbottabad, the identical metropolis the place al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden had been hiding out earlier than he was discovered and killed by US Navy SEALs.
Convicted of assembling explosives used within the Bali bombings, Patek is spared demise however given a 20-year sentence.

Bombmaker Umar Patek is escorted by prosecutors and plain-clothed police officers out of court
Bombmaker Umar Patek is escorted by prosecutors and plain-clothed law enforcement officials out of courtroom(AP)

December 2020

After eluding seize for 18 years, Aris Sumarsono, higher often called Zulkarnae, is arrested in Sumatra.
Police and prosecutors declare Zulkarnaen is the previous army commander of JI.
A panel of judges hand down a 15-year sentence.

August 2022

Stories recommend Patek may very well be launched from jail early, after serving simply half his two-decade sentence.

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