Malaysia to repatriate two citizens accused by US of involvement in 2002 Bali bombings
They have been detained by the US since 2003.
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian government has decided to bring home two Malaysians accused in a US military court in Cuba of involvement in the 2002 Bali bombings, according to a minister.
Home Affairs Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said he had discussed the matter in a meeting with the US Special Representative for Guantanamo Affairs, Tina Kaidanow, in New York recently.
"This is my second meeting with Tina Kaidanow and a follow-up meeting from my visit to Guantanamo Bay,” he said according to news reports Monday, referring to the Cuban location of a US military detention centre where the duo were detained.
"God willing, we will try to speed up their return to Malaysia. Their stories really touched me. This is about life, about repentance, about the opportunity to become a better person.”
Saifuddin, however, did not explain the legal mechanisms in play both in Malaysia and the US in their plans to repatriate the two men.
Malaysians Mohamad Nazir Bin Lep and Mohammed Farik Bin Amin as well as an Indonesian, Encep Nurjaman @ Hambali, were accused or murder, terrorism and conspiracy in the Bali bombings which killed 202 people and the 2003 JW Marriott Hotel bombing in Indonesia's capital Jakarta in which 11 people died.
The three were captured in Thailand in 2003 and were kept in secret CIA sites until 2006 when they were brought to Guantanamo Bay where they have been held since.
A US Senate report released in 2014 found that each man was tortured during his time in the secret sites.
Earlier this month, Amin was reported no longer being tried with the two other suspects, a move that suggested a plea deal could be in the works.