Q+A: Indonesia executes Bali bombers for 2002 attacks

By Ed Davies

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia executed three men sentenced to death for bomb attacks on Bali nightclubs in 2002 that killed 202 people and proved a wake-up call to the threat of Islamist militancy in the world's most populous Muslim nation.

The attacks by the Southeast Asian militant group Jemaah Islamiah (JI), which wants to drive officially secular Indonesia to become part of a larger Islamic caliphate, targeted foreigners and devastated the tourism industry in the resort island.

Although there have been no major bomb attacks since 2005, Indonesia is still considered at risk.

Will the execution of the Bali bombers lead to another wave of bomb attacks in Indonesia?

The authorities have warned that Indonesia still faces the risk of attacks and police say a number of plots have been broken up and explosives seized as recently as the last few weeks.

The executions could also turn the three bombers, Amrozi, Mukhlas and Imam Samudra, into martyrs in the eyes of hardline Islamic groups, who represent a small but vocal minority.

While several key Jemaah Islamiah strategists and bomb experts have been captured or killed, some of the most dangerous militants such as JI figure Noordin Mohammad Top remain at large, and JI and its splinter groups still have the capacity to launch attacks.

But security analysts say the focus is more likely to be on Indonesian government and police, rather than Western, targets.

How much sympathy or support is there for the Bali bombers and JI?

Most Indonesian Muslims are moderate and tolerant, despite the growth of more hardline groups in the country's young democracy.

In a recent survey by Setara Institute, 95 percent of those polled said they disagreed with organisations that used violence on behalf of religion, while 3 percent supported such action.

Nonetheless, the hardline minority can still wield considerable influence, through protests and political pressure.

Why did it take so long for the executions to take place?

The lawyers and families of the Bali bombers lodged a series of appeals, including requests for judicial reviews, as they said that anti-terrorism laws used to try the men had been applied retroactively.

The Supreme Court turned down requests for case reviews, while the Constitutional Court also overruled a petition from the bombers arguing that Indonesia's method of execution by firing squad was inhumane.