On October 12, 2002, the Indonesian island of Bali was rocked by devastating suicide bombings. The attacks, carried out by the Al Qaeda-linked group Jemaah Islamiyah, were the deadliest in Indonesian history and the first major terrorist action after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
About an hour before midnight on October 12, a suicide bomber walked into Paddy’s Bar in the resort town of Kuta and detonated an explosive device hidden in his backpack. Half a minute later, another suicide bomber triggered a much larger bomb rigged to a van parked across the street at the Sari Club. A third, significantly smaller, device was also detonated at the U. S. consulate in the nearby city of Denpassar, although it caused only minor injuries and minimal property damage.
The attacks in Kuta killed 202 individuals, including 88 Australians, 38 Indonesians, 24 Britons, and 7 Americans. Another 240 people were injured, many with severe burns. The local hospital was soon overwhelmed, and many of the wounded had to be flown to Australia for extensive burn treatment. Two days later, the United Nations (UN) Security Council unanimously passed Resolution 1438, condemning the attacks.
Although Jemaah Islamiyah, a Southeast Asian Islamist organization, was immediately suspected, its leader, Abu Bakar Bashir, quickly denied the group’s
Involvement, instead blaming the United States for the attacks. Several days after the bombings, the Arab news network Al Jazeera released an audio recording from Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who claimed that the attacks were conducted in retaliation for the U. S. War on Terror and Australia’s involvement in securing East Timor’s independence from Indonesia in 1999. Jemaah Islamiyah and Al Qaeda have been closely linked since the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s, and the two groups frequently share recruiting, training, and financial resources.
Legal proceedings against those suspected of masterminding the attacks began on April 30, 2003. Three men were sentenced to death: Amrozi bin Haji Nurhasyim on August 8, Imam Samudra on September 10, and Ali Ghufron on October 1. The executions of all three were carried out by firing squad on November 9, 2008. A fourth individual, Ali Imron, who reportedly showed remorse for his role in orchestrating the attacks, received a sentence of life imprisonment on September 18, 2003.
On October 15, 2004, Bashir was charged with involvement in the Bali bombings as part of a larger indictment for a 2003 bombing in Jakarta, Indonesia. Although acquitted of the 2003 bombing, Bashir was convicted of conspiracy over the Bali attacks and sentenced to two and a half years in prison (although he served only a small portion of this sentence before being released). A number of other individuals
An armed Indonesian policeman stands guard in front of what remains of Paddy's Bar in Kuta on the island of Bali, October 13, 2002. The previous night, two bombs ripped through this crowded tourist area, killing more than 200 people. The attack was carried out by members of Jemaah Islamiyah, a Southeast Asian Islamist organization with links to Al Qaeda. (AFP/Getty Images)
With ties to Jemaah Islamiyah were also convicted, but later appealed and had their convictions overturned. Others involved in the bombings may still be at large.
A memorial to the victims of the attacks was dedicated on October 12, 2004— the second anniversary of the bombings—at the site of the explosions in Kuta. Other memorials have been erected in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, and London. The bombings are also remembered through the 2007 Indonesian film Long Road to Heaven, directed by Enison Sinaro, which chronicles the planning and execution of the attacks, as well as the sentencing of the suspects.
On October 1, 2005, Kuta was again the site of a series of suicide bombings. Although considerably smaller than the 2002 attacks, the explosions resulted in 26 deaths and more than 100 injuries.
Spencer C. Tucker
See also Al Qaeda; Bin Laden, Osama; Global War on Terror Suggested Reading
“Bali Death Toll Set at 202.” BBC News, February 19, 2003.
“Bin Laden Voices New Threat to Australia.” Age, November 14, 2002.
Firdaus, Irwan. “Indonesia Executes Bali Bombers.” Jakarta Post, November 9, 2008.
World History
