The alleged mastermind behind the 2002 Bali bombings, Encep Nurjaman, known as Hambali, is set to stand trial in Guantanamo Bay this September, nearly 22 years after his capture. Hambali is implicated as the leader of Jemaah Islamiyah, an Indonesian terrorist group that serves as Al-Qaeda’s regional affiliate. This group orchestrated the catastrophic bombings of Bali’s nightclubs in October 2002, claiming 202 lives, including 88 Australians, as well as the 2003 bombing of the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Jakarta, which resulted in 12 fatalities.
In 2003, Hambali was arrested alongside two associates in Thailand and subsequently detained in a covert CIA prison for three years. The trio was transferred to Guantanamo Bay in 2006, where the US Department of Defence has since announced that pre-trial proceedings for Hambali will take place from September 8, conducted by a military tribunal at the Expeditionary Legal Complex.
Facing serious charges filed by the US in 2021, these allegations include conspiracy, murder, attempted murder, deliberately causing severe bodily injury, terrorism, and attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, among other violations of the law of war.
In related developments, two of Hambali’s companions pleaded guilty to their charges and provided testimony against him. They have been sentenced to serve an additional five years in a Malaysian prison.
Hambali is known to have a longstanding involvement in terrorism, dating back to the 1980s when he affiliated with the founders of Jemaah Islamiyah. His activities included training and fighting alongside high-ranking Al-Qaeda figures in Afghanistan, including Osama bin Laden, before his return to Indonesia. Multiple governments, including those of Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and the US, have sought his capture due to his extensive criminal record in terrorism.