Bali bomb maker Umar Patek launches business in Indonesia

The main bombmaker in the Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people, including 88 Australians, has launched a new business.

A convicted terrorist and bombmaker in the 2002 Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people has launched a new business in Indonesia — claiming he is now “brewing peace”.

The venture — marketed with the phrase “I concocted bombs, and now I concoct coffee” — has been met with anger from the families of those who died in the atrocity.

Some 88 Australians lost their lives in the attack on two nightclubs in the popular tourist district of Kuta on Saturday night, October 12, 2002. On top of the 202 people who died, 240 others were injured.

Umar Patek was on the run for almost a decade and was eventually tracked down in Pakistan in 2011 and arrested. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2012 but was released from jail in Java, Indonesia on parole in December 2022 after serving 11 years. The early release was slammed by Australian officials.

Now, he is opening a coffee business.

Umar Patek pictured in April, 2012 at the Jakarta court during his trial. Picture: AFP / Romeo Gacad

Patek told the South China Morning Post’s This Week in Asia about his “Coffee RAMU 1966 by Umar Patek” venture.

“Before, I was known for something that hurt the world,” he said. “Now I have chosen a different path.”

Hedon Estate, a restaurant in Surabaya, Indonesia, has helped Patek launch the business.

Patek said the owner had donated equipment to make the coffee and they would stock his products.

He told This Week in Asia that the move was about starting a new life.

“Once, I concocted bombs, and now I concoct coffee,” Patek said.

An Indonesian restaurant is supporting his coffee business. Picture: Instagram / @hedonestate

Umar Patek is seen in promotional videos on social media. Picture: Instagram / @hedonestate

Hedon Estate will host the launch of RAMU 1966 by Umar Patek on Tuesday.

The restaurant has posted promotional videos with Patek on social media.

One caption, translated to English, reads: “He was known for the wounds he left, now he is remembered for the aroma of coffee he brewed.

“His life’s journey is not about a dark past, but about the courage to change and choose a path that brings peace. One man, one cup of coffee, and a million new hopes.”

On Patek’s prison release in 2022, Indonesia said Patek had participated in the country’s deradicalisation program and earned remissions for good behaviour.

Then Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil said Patek’s release was an “absolutely horrible day for the victims of the Bali bombings”.

A view of the bomb blast site on October 16, 2002 in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia. Picture: Edy Purnomo/Getty Images

Australian Sandra Thompson, whose 29-year-old son Clint Thompson died in the bombings, reacted to the news of Patek’s new business.

“Has this man repented? Does he still think what he did was morally right? Or has he just served a sentence then moved on?” she told This Week in Asia. “Two hundred and two lives plus an unborn baby and survivors still living with the effects of their injuries. Has he paid for that? Never, if he has no remorse.”

Patek has previously labelled himself “a murderer and a sinner” and said he has apologised to victims open to hearing him.

“Everyone who has met with me in person has forgiven me,” Patek claimed in a Q&A for Al Jazeera in 2023.

“When I meet victims, I say, ‘I am Umar Patek and I was involved in the Bali bombing,’ then I explain why I was there, and apologise.”

He added: “I did not say sorry to get out of prison early, but everything is always wrong in other people’s eyes. If I say sorry, people say I am pretending and it is a strategic choice. If I didn’t apologise, people would say I was arrogant.”