Cambodia Convicts Suspected Terrorist Leader in Absentia
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — A judge Wednesday sentenced one of Asia’s top suspected terrorists, Hambali, and several associates to life imprisonment for attempting to strike Western targets in Cambodia.
Judge Ya Sokhan convicted the men on charges of “attempted premeditated murder with the goal of terrorism.â€
Hambali and two men identified as Rousha Yasser and Ibrahim were sentenced in absentia. Hambali was arrested in Thailand in 2003 and is being held by U.S. authorities at an undisclosed location.
Hambali, an Indonesian whose real name is Riduan Isamuddin, reportedly spent several months in Cambodia in 2002. He allegedly tried to use it as a base from which to launch regional terrorist attacks, and is said to be a key leader of the regional Jemaah Islamiah terrorist network.
Three other suspects -- Abdul Azi Haji Chiming and Mohammed Yalaludin Mading of Thailand, and Cambodian Sman Ismael -- who were in court also were sentenced to life in prison.
Egyptian Esam Mohammed Khidr Ali was freed for lack of evidence. The suspects had denied the charges, saying that they worked for a charity.
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