Solved case · 2002
Also known as 2002 Bali terrorist bombing · 2002 Bali bombings event
Bali 2002 bombing Memorial MelbourneCredit: User:Peter EllisCC BY-SA 3.0SourceThe short answer
On 12 October 2002, Jemaah Islamiyah militants detonated three bombs in Kuta, Bali, killing 202 people and injuring 209 others in Indonesia's deadliest terrorist attack.
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Suggest coverage for 2002 Bali BombingsOn the night of 12 October 2002, a coordinated terrorist attack struck the tourist district of Kuta on the Indonesian island of Bali. At 11:05 p.m., a suicide bomber detonated an explosives vest inside the nightclub Paddy's Pub. Approximately twenty seconds later, a second suicide bomber detonated a large car bomb packed in a Mitsubishi L300 van outside the Sari Club, an open-air bar across the street. A third, much smaller device exploded outside the United States consulate in Denpasar, causing only minor injuries and property damage. The attacks killed 202 people—151 Westerners, 38 local Indonesians, 10 nationals of six other countries, and 3 unidentified victims—and injured a further 209, making it the worst terrorist act in Indonesia's history. The largest single national group among the dead were Australian tourists, with 88 fatalities. On 14 October 2002, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1438 condemning the bombings as a threat to international peace and security.
Investigators determined the Sari Club bomb was built from a mixture of potassium chlorate, aluminium powder, and sulfur packed into twelve plastic filing cabinets, connected by detonating cord and fitted with electric detonators, with a total weight of roughly 1,020 kilograms. Indonesian police identified the plot as the work of Jemaah Islamiyah, an Islamist militant organization. The arrest of Amrozi bin Nurhasyim, based on evidence including chemical residue, purchase receipts, and mobile phone records, led investigators to a wider network of suspects, including Ali Imron, Imam Samudra, Dulmatin, Idris, Abdul Ghani, and Umar Patek.
Legal proceedings followed over subsequent years. Amrozi bin Nurhasyim was sentenced to death on 8 August 2003 for buying explosives and the van used in the bombings. Imam Samudra was sentenced to death on 10 September 2003. Ali Imron, Amrozi's brother, received a life sentence on 18 September 2003 after expressing remorse. Ali Ghufron, alias Mukhlas, was sentenced to death on 1 October 2003 and told police he had ordered the bombings as a Jemaah Islamiyah cell leader. Amrozi, Imam Samudra, and Mukhlas were executed by firing squad after midnight on 9 November 2008 at the Nusakambangan island prison. Abu Bakar Bashir, alleged spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiyah, was convicted on 3 March 2005 of conspiracy in relation to the Bali attacks and sentenced to two and a half years; his earlier acquittal on treason charges and a separate later conviction related to different bombings had varied outcomes, and his Bali-related conviction was ultimately overturned by Indonesia's Supreme Court in December 2006. Bomb-maker Azahari Husin was killed in a police raid in November 2005, and Dulmatin, believed to have detonated one of the Bali bombs, was killed in a shootout with police in March 2010. Umar Patek was arrested in Pakistan in early 2011, and Zulkarnaen was arrested in Indonesia in December 2020.
The bombings prompted numerous memorials in Bali, Australia, the United Kingdom, and elsewhere, and led to formal recognition of rescuer heroism under Australia's honours system, including the Cross of Valour and Star of Courage.
Suicide bomber detonates explosives vest at Paddy's Pub; seconds later a car bomb detonates outside the Sari Club; a smaller device explodes outside the US consulate in Denpasar. 202 people killed, 209 injured.
UN Security Council passes Resolution 1438 condemning the attack.
First charges related to the bombings filed against Amrozi bin Nurhasyim.
Amrozi bin Nurhasyim found guilty and sentenced to death.
Imam Samudra sentenced to death.
Ali Imron sentenced to life imprisonment.
Ali Ghufron (Mukhlas) sentenced to death.
Convicted bomber Maskur Abdul Kadir successfully appeals his conviction; Constitutional Court rules retroactive laws used in Bali trials unconstitutional.
Permanent memorial dedicated at the site of Paddy's Pub on the second anniversary of the attack.
Abu Bakar Bashir convicted of conspiracy over the 2002 Bali attacks and sentenced to two and a half years imprisonment.
Bomb-maker Azahari Husin killed in a police raid in Batu, East Java.
Abu Bakar Bashir freed after serving less than 26 months.
Bashir's conspiracy conviction overturned by Indonesia's Supreme Court.
Suspect Abu Dujana reported captured.
Amrozi bin Nurhasyim, Imam Samudra, and Ali Ghufron (Mukhlas) executed by firing squad at Nusakambangan prison.
Dulmatin killed in a shootout with Indonesian police in Pamulang, South Tangerang.
Umar Patek arrested in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
Suspect Zulkarnaen arrested in Lampung, Indonesia.
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
Member of the Hong Kong Football Club killed in the bombings, later commemorated with a memorial placard.[3]
Killed instantly in the Sari Club bombing; his partner Hanabeth Luke searched for him after the blast.[3]
Injured in the Sari Club bombing and helped by rescuer Hanabeth Luke; died in hospital about a month after the attack.[3]
Alleged Jemaah Islamiyah spiritual leader; convicted of conspiracy over the 2002 Bali attacks on 3 March 2005 and sentenced to two and a half years; conviction later overturned by Indonesia's Supreme Court on 21 December 2006.[3]
Also known as Mukhlas; convicted and sentenced to death on 1 October 2003 as a Jemaah Islamiyah cell leader who ordered the bombings; executed by firing squad on 9 November 2008.[3]
Brother of Amrozi; sentenced to life imprisonment on 18 September 2003 after expressing remorse for his role.[3]
Convicted and sentenced to death on 8 August 2003 for buying explosives and the van used in the bombings; executed by firing squad on 9 November 2008.[3]
Convicted and sentenced to death on 10 September 2003; executed by firing squad on 9 November 2008.[3]
Convicted bomber whose conviction was successfully appealed on 23 July 2004 after Indonesia's Constitutional Court found the retroactive laws used in his trial unconstitutional.[3]
Convicted by a Jakarta court on 21 June 2012 of building the bombs used in the 2002 Bali nightclub attacks that killed 202 people; sentenced to 20 years in prison. Arrested in Abbottabad, Pakistan in early 2011. Released on parole in December 2022 after serving about half his sentence.[3]
Senior Jemaah Islamiyah figure arrested in Lampung, Indonesia on 10 December 2020 after 18 years evading capture; convicted by the East Jakarta District Court on 19 January 2022 of terrorism offenses (aiding and sheltering perpetrators, withholding information) tied to the network behind the 2002 Bali bombings and sentenced to 15 years; a direct charge of masterminding the bombings was dismissed as time-barred under the statute of limitations.[3]
Known as Hambali; alleged operational chief of Jemaah Islamiyah; arrested in Thailand on 11 August 2003 and has been held at Guantanamo Bay since. Formally charged on 21 January 2021 before a U.S. military commission with murder, terrorism and conspiracy tied to the 2002 Bali bombings and the 2003 J.W. Marriott Hotel bombing; as of 2026 no trial date has been set, with a tribunal targeted for late 2026.[3]
Real name Joni Hendrawan; confessed to police and in court to helping purchase the van used in the October 2002 Bali bombings and training the driver, but his trial charges were dismissed by the South Jakarta District Court on 24 August 2004 after Indonesia's Constitutional Court ruled that trying Bali bombing suspects under anti-terrorism laws enacted after the attack (applied retroactively) was unconstitutional. He was never convicted of the Bali bombings. No charges remain pending against him in this case. He was separately convicted and sentenced to 10 years for the August 2003 Marriott Hotel bombing in Jakarta (a different case, under different, non-retroactive laws), and was released early in 2009 after serving about five years.[3]
From the record
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UNSOLVEDListenBanyuwangi Regency, East Java, Indonesia · 1990s
A wave of vigilante violence swept East Java, Indonesia, in 1998 after rumors of sorcery and cattle deaths led to killings of suspected sorcerers by black-clad "ninja" vigilantes, followed by retaliatory killings of people suspected of being ninjas; the National Commission on Human Rights recorded 307 deaths.
Shanksville, Somerset County, Pennsylvania · 2001
On September 11, 2001, four hijackers affiliated with al-Qaeda took control of United Airlines Flight 93 en route from Newark to San Francisco, intending to crash it into a federal government building in Washington, D.C. After learning by phone of the day's other attacks, passengers and crew fought back, and the aircraft crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing all 44 people aboard.
Credit: nrkbetaCC BY-SA 2.0SourceSOLVEDListenOslo and Utøya, Norway · 2011
On 22 July 2011, Anders Behring Breivik detonated a car bomb in Oslo's government quarter, killing 8, then carried out a mass shooting at a Workers' Youth League (AUF) summer camp on the island of Utøya, killing 69. He was convicted in 2012 and sentenced to 21 years of preventive detention, Norway's maximum sentence.
Credit: Oliver MarkCC BY-SA 4.0SourceSOLVEDListenLiaquat National Bagh, Rawalpindi, Pakistan · 2007
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was killed on 27 December 2007 in Rawalpindi following a shooting and suicide bombing after a political rally, an attack that also killed 23 other people. A UN inquiry found her security had been fatally insufficient and the crime scene mishandled; two police officers were later convicted, five Taliban-linked suspects were acquitted, and Pervez Musharraf was indicted but declared a fugitive before being separately sentenced in absentia on unrelated treason charges.
SOLVEDListenOlivier Cafe, Grand Indonesia shopping mall, Jakarta · 2016
Wayan Mirna Salihin died on 6 January 2016 after drinking a cyanide-laced Vietnamese iced coffee at a Jakarta cafe; her friend Jessica Kumala Wongso was convicted of premeditated murder and sentenced to 20 years, a verdict upheld on appeal.
Kuningan District, South Jakarta, near the Australian Embassy · 2004
A car bomb detonated outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta on 9 September 2004, killing nine people and wounding over 150. Jemaah Islamiyah claimed responsibility; several men were later convicted for their roles in planning and facilitating the attack.
