Indonesian militant given life sentence in 2005 attack

Police officers escort suspected Islamic militant Upik Lawanga, center, upon arrival following his arrest, at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Indonesia, on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020. An Indonesian court sentenced Lawanga who eluded capture for 16 years to life in prison on Wednesday after finding him guilty of making bombs used in a 2005 market attack that killed 22 people. - AP

JAKARTA, Dec 9 (AP): An Indonesian court sentenced an Islamic militant who eluded capture for 16 years to life in prison on Wednesday (Dec 8) after finding him guilty of making bombs used in a 2005 market attack that killed 22 people.

Upik Lawanga, known as "professor,” is a key member of the Jemaah Islamiyah militant network, which the U.S. has designated a terrorist group. It is widely blamed for attacks including the 2002 bombings on the Indonesian resort island of Bali that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists, as well as attacks in the Philippines.