Suspected Bali Bomber Apologizes to Victims

Posted May 7th, 2012 at 5:15 am (UTC-5)
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An Islamic militant accused of making the bombs used in the 2002 Bali nightclub attacks has apologized to victims and their families.

During emotional testimony at his trial Monday, Umar Patek said he played only a small role in the attacks that killed 202 people, and did not know nightclubs were the target.

Patek faces a maximum penalty of death if convicted of charges that include premeditated murder, bomb-making and illegal firearms possession. He faces similar charges for his alleged role in deadly attacks on Christian churches in Jakarta on Christmas Eve of 2000.

Patek was captured in January of last year in the same Pakistani 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 group that has advocated creating an Islamic state spanning much of Southeast Asia.