InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5
MANILA, Philippines - Reiterating its strong and unequivocal condemnation of terrorism, the Aquino administration lauded the conviction of Indonesian terrorist Umar Patek for his involvement in building explosives used in the deadly 2002 Bali nightclub attacks.
In an interview aired over government-run dzRB Radyo ng Bayan on Saturday, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte issued the statement following reports that Patek was sentenced to 20 years in prison by an Indonesian court last Thursday.
Patek, 45, a leading member of the al-Qaida-linked network Jemaah Islamiyah, was found guilty of all charges by the West Jakarta District Court for violating the country’s anti-terror law for his role in the Oct. 12, 2002 Bali resort island attacks that killed 202 people.
"That’s a welcome development— the conviction of Umar Patek. Anti-terrorism is a global effort. Kasama tayo doon sa mga bansang lumalaban sa terorismo," Valte said.
"Magandang balita po ito lalo na para doon sa mga pamilya ng mga naging biktima sa Bali bombing," she said.
Reports said the five-member judge panel concluded that Patek played an important role in building the explosives used in the Bali bombings. He was also sentenced for his involvement in a Jakarta church attack on Christmas Eve in 2000 that killed 19.
“The acts of the defendant have created many victims and caused deep suffering to the victims’ families,” the verdict said.
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