An alleged Islamic militant went on trial Wednesday on charges of harboring terrorists behind twin suicide hotel bombings in Jakarta that killed seven and injured more than 50 in Indonesia.
Amir Abdillah appeared in South Jakarta District Court on charges of violating Indonesia's anti-terror law by concealing information and harboring terrorists linked with the July 17 attacks at the J.W. Marriott and Ritz Carlton hotels.
The bombings ended a four-year lull in terrorism in the Muslim-majority country. Abdillah, who prosecutors say was a driver for the late Southeast Asian militant leader Noordin Top, was arrested a month after the attacks as the first suspect in the case.
If convicted, he could be sentenced to death.
Following his arrest, Abdillah's tips led to the arrests of several other suspected terrorists and two deadly raids in Central Java that killed four suspects, including a florist at the J.W. Marriott who facilitated the attacks.
"I am going to defend Amir Abdillah because he was accused of helping and accompanying Noordin M. Top to go everywhere he wanted as well as be a chauffeur for Top," lawyer Asludin Hatjani said.
Malaysian-born Noordin, who was shot dead in a gunbattle with police on September 17, was blamed for a string of terrorist attacks in Indonesia that killed more than 250 people.
In all, police have killed six and arrested more than a dozen suspects including Saudi citizen Ali Mohammad Abdillah, who is accused of helping finance the bombings.
