‘No remorse’: Aussie Bali bombings survivor slams release of mastermind’s lieutenants

An Australian survivor of the 2002 Bali bombings says two conspirators should “never see the light of day again” after being freed from Guantanamo Bay.

An Australian survivor of the 2002 Bali bombings has slammed the release of two men who pleaded guilty to conspiring in the terror attack

Two lieutenants of the accused mastermind behind the attacks have been freed from Guantanamo Bay, the US military prison where they had been held since 2006.

Mohammed Farik Bin Amin and Mohammed Nazir Bin Lep will now spend five years behind bars in Malaysia after striking deals in which they gave evidence against Encep Nurjaman, who allegedly orchestrated the terror attack that killed 202 people including 88 Australians.

Nurjaman – also known as Hambali – was the military leader of the al-Qaeda-linked terrorist organisation Jemaah Islamiah that targeted tourists by bombing Paddy’s bar and the Sari Club in Kuta. He is slated to stand trial in Guantanamo’s military court next year.

Bin Amin and Bin Lep had both been sent by Nurjaman in the late 1990s to train as terrorists in Afghanistan, where they met al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Mohammed Nazir Bin Lep. Picture: Supplied

Mohammed Farik Bin Amin. Picture: Supplied

Australian survivor Tim Weatherald on Thursday said he was “disappointed” the pair had been let out with reduced sentences after the hurt they caused.

“The thing for me is they showed no remorse. From my point of view, if they showed a bit of remorse, and a bit of care but they almost seem proud of what they have done. So I have no issue with them not ever seeing the light of day again,” he told Sunrise.

Bali bombings survivor Tim Weatherald returns home to Adelaide Airport in 2002.

“I have seen first-hand the terror they brought and how sad (it was) and 22 years later, it is still an awkward thing for me and my friends and family and all the people who were over there. We have to remember that. I don’t think they should get out.”

PAIR HELD FOR YEARS IN CIA PRISONS

In their plea agreements that were finalised in January, they denied having first-hand knowledge of the Bali bombings but admitted to helping Nurjaman evade law enforcement agencies until he was captured in a US-led raid in Thailand in 2003.

Both were held for years in the CIA’s secret overseas prisons before they were transferred to Guantanamo in 2006.

The US Department of Defence said in a statement that the men had pleaded guilty to offences including murder in violation of the law of war, intentionally causing serious bodily injury, conspiracy, and destruction of property in violation of the law of war.

Encep Nurjaman: Picture: Supplied

Their testimony against Nurjaman would be used to prosecute him over the Bali attack as well as the suicide bombing of Jakarta’s JW Marriott Hotel in 2003, the Pentagon said.

Brian Bouffard, Bin Lep’s lawyer, told The New York Times his client planned to “live a quiet life with his family”, claiming he had been “been punished many times over for his long-ago involvement with the wrong people”.

“We hope one day that his torturers and their enablers might face accountability for the evil they have done in our name,” he said.

A ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the Bali bombings in Kuta. Picture: Agung Parameswara (Getty Images)

The CIA’s use of torture has been a key factor in delaying the prosecutions of the accused terrorists held on Guantanamo, given it produced evidence considered inadmissable in court.

Bin Amin’s lawyer Christine Funk said he planned to “continue living a life of purpose, taking care of his parents and pursuing a career that best reflects his skills and talents”.

Their removal from Guantanamo means there are now 27 detainees remaining in the prison – including 15 who are eligible to be transferred to other countries – that was set up to hold terrorism suspects in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001.

US President Joe Biden had planned to shut down the prison while in office, and while White House officials recently said he remained determined to do so, he now has only two months left until he is replaced by Donald Trump.

Originally published as ‘No remorse’: Aussie Bali bombings survivor slams release of mastermind’s lieutenants