Will Bali bombing suspect Hambali be set free after 18 years in prison?
Minister says Hambali remains ‘an Indonesian citizen’ and the country ‘must care for him’, but analysts warn any potential release is fraught with issues
A senior Indonesian official has sparked speculation about the potential release of Indonesian national Encep Nurjaman from Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp – some 18 years after he was sent to the facility in Cuba.
Experts warn any move to repatriate Encep – also known as Hambali – has the potential to embolden jihadist networks in Indonesia, even as his release is eagerly awaited by his family in the country.
Indonesia’s coordinating minister for law, human rights, immigration and correctional institutions, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, on Monday said Hambali remained “an Indonesian citizen”.
“No matter how wrong he is [...] we must care for him,” Yusril said. “The Indonesian government is aware of the sensitivity of this matter and will act carefully.”
Yusril added that the Indonesian statute of limitations on the case had now expired – meaning that Hambali could no longer be tried in Indonesia for any alleged role in the 2002 Bali bombing.
Yusril’s comments mark a distinct pivot by the Indonesian government, which previously said it had no plans to raise Hambali’s case with the United States and did not consider him an Indonesian citizen as he was allegedly travelling on a foreign passport at the time of his arrest.
