The United States military prosecutors have filed charges against an Indonesian and two Malaysian terrorists accused of conspiring in 2002 Bali bombings and 2003 Jakarta attack, the Pentagon announced.
The charges have been filed nearly after 18 years after the three were captured in Thailand and have been held at Guantanamo Bay wartime prison since September 2006.
The Pentagon announced the charges two days after US new Defence Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III told Congress that the administration "does not intend to bring new detainees to the facility and will seek to close it."
According to a statement by Pentagon, the first terrorist who has been charged is Riduan Isamuddin, better known by his nom de guerre Hambali, the leader of Indonesian jihadist group Jemaah Islamiyah and believed to have been Al-Qaeda's top representative in the region.
The other two terrorists charged, Malaysian nationals Mohammed Nazir bin Lep and Mohammed Farik bin Amin, were top Hambali aides in Jemaah Islamiyah
The charges alleged they "aided and abetted in a course of conduct that resulted in the bombing of nightclubs in Bali, Indonesia in 2002 and the bombing of a J.W. Marriott hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2003".
In 2002 nightclub bombing in Bali, 202 people including 7 Americans were killed and 11 people were killed, 80 suffered injuries in 2003 Marriott hotel bombing in Jakarta.
The charges include conspiracy, murder, attempted murder, intentionally causing serious bodily injury, terrorism, attacking civilians, attacking civilian objects, destruction of property, all in violation of the law of war, according to the statement.
"The charges are only allegations that the accused committed offenses punishable under the Military Commissions Act, and the accused are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The case is non-capital and arraignment is pending," the statement said.
( With inputs from ANI )
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