Umar Patek served just half of his 20-year sentence for helping create the explosives used in the Bali bomings after he authorities determined he “behaved very well” in prison.
Umar Patek, whose real name is Hisyam bin Ali Zein, was arrested in 2012 and has only served 10 years of his 20-year sentence for his role in the attacks.
Umar Patek helped create the explosives in the 2002 Bali bombings and is set to be released from prison after just 10 years. Picture: Supplied However Patek’s release is likely to cause distress for many of the friends and family members of victims as it comes less than two months out from the 20-year anniversary of the terror attack.
“It was a ghastly crime and it’s ghastly that this is happening as we approach the 20th anniversary. This is awful timing.” “I know this continues representations that were made by the former government as well when the initial reductions in the sentence were given to this person who I think is abhorrent his actions were the actions of a terrorist,” he told the Today show.Patek was a senior member of Jemaah Islamiyah, the Indonesian militant group which was connected to al-Qaeda, and was one of the last Bali terrorists arrested after he had a $US1 million bounty placed on his head.
Indonesian authorities had already reduced his sentence by a year and 11 months and he was due to become eligible for parole next January when he would have served just two-thirds of his sentence.
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