Indonesian prosecutors have asked for a life sentence rather than the death penalty for an Islamic militant accused of helping to build the bomb used in the 2002 Bali nightclub attacks.

Prosecutors had originally asked for the death penalty for Umar Patek when the trial started in February.

Prosecutor Bambang Suharyadi told the West Jakarta District Court Monday that Patek should get a life sentence, even though he is guilty of premeditated murder.

Patek, who has apologized to victims and their families, testified earlier this month he played only a small role in the attacks that killed 202 people. He said he did not know nightclubs were the targets.

Patek was captured last year in January in the same Pakistani garrison town where U.S. forces killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.

The Bali attacks and a string of others aimed at foreigners in Indonesia over the past decade have been blamed on members of Jemaah Islamiyah – a hard-line Muslim groups that has advocated creating an Islamic state spanning much of Southeast Asia.

Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim nation.