I Hisyam bin Alizein, AKA Umar Patek, is conditionally a free man after serving only half of his original sentence despite playing a key role in the 2002 Bali bombings.
Umar left prison in Surabaya, East Java yesterday after having pledged his allegiance to the Unitary State of Indonesia (NKRI), which was one of the conditions for his release.
His release came on the same day that an explosion rocked a police station in Bandung, West Java, which authorities said was carried out by a suicide bomber. The bomber and one cop was killed, while 10 others were wounded.
The Bandung suicide bomber was identified as 34-year-old Agus Sujatno, who was convicted on terrorism charges after he was found guilty of crafting a pressure cooker bomb that exploded in Bandung in 2017. Agus spent four years in the high security Nusakambangan prison before he was released in September 2021.
Umar, meanwhile, was found guilty in 2012 of crafting the explosives for the deadly bombings at two nightclubs, killing 202 people, among whom 88 were from Australia. Originally sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment, Umar only ended up serving 10 years behind bars after receiving several sentence remissions, including for good behavior.
Australia, who had previously strongly condemned plans to release Umar on parole, is “horrified” that he was actually able to walk free.
Umar is obliged to take part in a deradicalization program during his parole period, which ends on April 29, 2030.
