KUALA LUMPUR – The two Malaysian terror suspects held in Guantanamo Bay awaiting trial on charges for the 2002 Bali and 2003 Jakarta bombings have agreed to plead guilty, the New York Times has reported.
The paper last Thursday said Mohammed Nazir Lep and Mohammed Farik Amin had reached a deal with US military prosecutors to plead guilty to being accessories in the bombings.
For Farik, a hearing for sentencing has been scheduled for January 15 next year, the NYT added, citing court filings by the prosecutors.
Meanwhile, Free Malaysia Today confirmed the two Malaysians’ agreement to plead guilty, quoting US-based lawyer Brian Bouffard, who is representing Nazir.
Nazir and Farik were charged in August 2021, but their trial has yet to begin due to delays in finding qualified Bahasa Melayu translators.
Recently, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the government was hastening efforts to bring home the two detainees.
The minister said he had personally met Farik, 48, and Nazir, 46, and was moved by their personal stories of repentance.
The NYT also reported that Farik and Nazir’s deal to plead guilty is separate from the case involving Encep Nurjaman, better known as Hambali, said to be the mastermind of the bombings and the former head of Jemaah Islamiyah.
Hambali will now face trial alone. – October 23, 2023