Bali Bomb Maker Apologizes For Killings

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

JAKARTA (Worthy News) – An Indonesian bomb maker convicted for his role in the deadly 2002 nightclub attacks on Indonesia’s resort island of Bali that killed hundreds has apologized to the victims’ families.

Umar Patek, a member of the Jemaah Islamiyah organization linked to the terror group al-Qaida, made the apologies after his release from prison was met with outrage in Australia.

Patek was jailed for 20 years in 2012 after he was found guilty of making bombs that ripped through two Bali nightclubs, killing 202 people, including 88 Australians and 38 Indonesians.

He was released on parole last week.

“I apologize to the victims and their families, both at home and abroad, whatever their country, whatever their ethnicity, whatever their religion,” Patek said in comments monitored by Worthy Jews.

“I apologize to the Australian people who have been deeply impacted by the Bali bombing,” he added at a deradicalization center in East Java province.

Patek also said he would help the Indonesian government in its counter-terrorism efforts, adding he was “ready to become an ambassador for peace.”

Authorities in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim nation, released Patek last week but said he will be required to join a “mentoring program” until April 2030.

Indonesia declared in August that Patek became eligible for parole after reductions to his sentence, a move condemned by Australia, home to many Bali attack victims.

His release also comes despite reported ongoing attacks by Islamic extremists or their supporters against minority Christians in several parts of the country.

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